Swallowed In the Sea
by tinyhuman02
Summary: AU: Sometimes people don't choose their fate. Instead, fate chooses them. For Jackson Avery and April Kepner, their fate comes at a hefty price. Inspired by The Hunger Games. Japril plus various character appearances.
1. The Reaping

**Hey, folks! Here's another AU story that I hope you guys will be interested in. It combines two things I love - Grey's and The Hunger Games, so if you like both (and especially Japril), I hope you'll give it a shot. Not my first time writing AU, but this is a very different universe and your feedback would be much appreciated :)**

**This fic is for Hidge cause she's been badgering me about this for a long time lol.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything from Grey's or THG. It's all in good fun!**

* * *

Reaping Day.

It was an event all twelve districts of Panem were required to participate in once a year in the middle of summer. The Hunger Games was an annual event organized by the Capitol as a punishment for a former rebellion in which the thirteenth district was destroyed in the process. Of the twelve districts that remained, one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen would be chosen in a lottery to represent their homes as tributes in a battle to the death until one person emerged as the victor. The Capitol built a new outdoor arena every year where the tributes would fight and the Games were televised for everyone to see.

The Capitol, a totalitarian government, was the wealthiest and most powerful location in Panem. Under the leadership of President Richard Webber, the Capitol dictated all twelve districts. Their citizens didn't participate in the Games and viewed the event purely as entertainment.

It was now the 74th annual Hunger Games. For April Kepner, this particular year could bring either good news or bad news for her. At eighteen years old, it marked her final year in the lottery. However, she wasn't the only person she worried about being chosen. Her younger sister Kimmie was fifteen and the baby of the group, Alice, had just turned twelve. She refused to believe either of them would be picked. It had been painful enough when her older sister Libby was sent to the Games.

She lived in District 4, which was mainly known for fishing. Located along the coast, its citizens were highly skilled with nets and tridents and they created their own fishhooks. They were considered the best swimmers and experts in identifying sea life. Because of how productive the district was, they were also one of the wealthier districts in Panem after District 1 and District 2.

April's father was a fisherman who raised his four daughters alone after their mother passed away ten years ago. He taught them how to gut the fish he caught, set up equipment in the water and steer his vessel when they were old enough. Joe Kepner was a hardworking man. He started from the bottom, gradually moving his way up to the top. And he made sure all of his daughters pitched in with the daily chores at home and out at sea on his vessel.

"Oww! Dammit," April angrily muttered to herself after she accidentally pricked her finger with her fishing hook. A drop of blood appeared on her finger and she partially slipped her fingertip into her mouth to numb the stinging pain. She had decided to go fishing to pass the time prior to the reaping. It was the only thing that helped her relax. Sitting in a small row boat with her best friend, she dropped her line into the water. "I should've just brought a net. I hate working with hooks."

"That's because you're clumsy as hell," Reed Adamson teased, drawing an eye roll from her friend. Both of them were quite nervous about being reaped, but she was more easily relaxed than April. "How's your dad feeling? You know, since three Kepners are in the lottery?"

"Don't remind me," she groaned. "We came out here to avoid talking about later, remember? Let's keep it that way."

Like many citizens in every district, April loathed the Hunger Games. There was nothing entertaining about watching innocent teenagers attempt to kill each other on live television. It was disgusting and shameful. She hated everything the Games stood for.

And she was the least violent person she knew. There was no way she could survive in that arena, let alone force herself to kill a fellow tribute. Hiding until everyone died would be her best strategy.

She felt a tug on her fishing pole causing her to grin. "Hey, I already got something." As she reeled in her line, there was resistance coming from underwater. "This one's fighting. It must be a huge fish."

Suddenly, a figure popped out of the water causing both girls to scream. They were greeted by Jackson Avery, one of the most popular boys in their school. "How's it goin', ladies?" he smoothly stated, grinning widely as they wiped water away from their faces.

The same age as April and Reed, he was well-known in District 4, thanks to his family. The Averys controlled the largest fishing industry and they were the wealthiest family in the district. Everyone adored them.

The girls at school especially admired Jackson due to his attractive physical features. His olive skin always glistened under the sunlight and his eyes were a mix of blue and green, which easily hypnotized his female peers. He had a charming smile that made their knees grow weak. It didn't hurt that he was built athletically. Most of the ladies swooned over his chiseled abs and pecs. He was nicknamed Pretty Boy by his friends. Everyone at school bowed down to him – except for one person.

"What the hell do you want?" April retorted, scowling at her classmate. Since elementary school, she thought he was obnoxious and annoying. His gorgeous face and perfectly crafted body didn't fool her. "Shouldn't you be in town flirting with every desperate girl that comes your way?"

"Nah, thought I'd go out for a swim before the reaping," he casually said. Jackson held up a shiny, white pearl with his thumb and index finger. "I found this earlier in an oyster. You want it?"

"No, I'm allergic."

"To _pearls_?"

Reed extended out her hand and smiled. "I'll take it," she gleefully answered. He handed her the pearl and she softly squealed in excitement. "Thank you, Jackson. So… the rumor floating around is you're volunteering yourself for the Games this year."

"Maybe," he hinted, smiling as he ran his hand across the top of his shaved head. "I like to think I can win it. I'm not intimidated."

"That's so brave of you," the brunette complimented. "And if you want my opinion, you would definitely win."

April shook her head disappointedly. "Why anybody would want to _volunteer_ is beyond me. You're basically volunteering to die. What's so brave about that?" she complained, folding her arms. "Stupid is what it is."

"Libby volunteered," Jackson noted.

"To save Kimmie," she irritably replied. "She was only thirteen. No way she would've survived. And what are you still doing here? Nobody invited you to come over here, so go away."

"Why are you always so cold towards me?" he questioned curiously. "What did I do?"

"Ah, let's see…" She started counting on her fingers. "When we were five you cut off my pigtail with scissors. At seven, you tripped me and I fell in the mud, ruining my new dress. When we were ten years old you told all of the boys I kissed you – and I totally didn't."

Reed playfully nudged April's side with her elbow. "That's not the worst rumor in the world, you know," she whispered.

The redhead ignored her comment and continued listing Jackson's past annoyances. "Thirteen, you threw a fish at my face-"

"That was an accident," the pretty boy interrupted with a chuckle. "You just got in the way."

"And I told you to leave us alone," she agitatedly responded, prying Jackson's fingers off of her row boat. April shot a glare at him as he waded in the water. "Just because my father works for yours it doesn't mean we have to be friends. I don't care how many girls fall for your fake charm. You're a pest."

He rolled his eyes and moved away from the boat. "Fine. Whatever. See you at the reaping, ladies."

As Jackson swam away from the twosome, Reed lightly slapped April's arm. "He was being sweet. Why did you make him leave?"

"Because I can't stand him and this is supposed to be best friend bonding time. One of us could be reaped this afternoon, so this could be the last time we hang out," she dejectedly explained.

"Oh, gosh. You're so dramatic, April. We're two people out of at least a thousand other girls," her best friend pointed out. "The odds of us being chosen isn't that high."

"Tell that to Kimmie. None of us thought she'd get chosen, but she did and Libby pretty much forced herself to volunteer to save her life."

April huffed as she tossed her line back into the water. She refused to think about the possibility of having to volunteer for either of her younger sisters. It wasn't that she wouldn't do it. Of course she would because she refused to let them compete in such an inhumane game, but she hoped it wouldn't come to that. As selfish as it sounded, some other girl deserved to be reaped. The Kepners had already experienced the anguish of watching one of their own in the arena.

* * *

Carrying a couple of fish attached to a hook, April strolled into the Victors' Village, the neighborhood solely reserved for those who won the Hunger Games and their families. She lazily pushed open the front door, walking into her three-storied home. "Dad, I'm home," she called out and peeked inside of the living room for her father.

Joe was seated on the couch reading the newspaper. He set it aside and smiled at the sight of the fish his daughter caught. "Well, look at that. You caught yourself some good ones," he acknowledged, standing up and approaching her.

Her father was a tall guy compared to her petite size. The older man sported a brown and gray beard to match the short hair on his head. He looked like a man who was raised to be a fisherman, while she was the exact opposite. But amongst the Kepner girls, April was the closest to her father even prior to her mother's death. There wasn't a particular reason why, but she was clearly the daddy's girl of the group.

"Can I help you start lunch?" she asked, pressing her cheek against his chest as he engulfed her with his large arms.

"Actually, your sister is waiting for you upstairs. She already helped Kimmie and Alice get dressed and ready for the reaping, so you're the only one left," he answered, taking the fish from her.

"Libby can wait a little longer," April groaned and slightly pouted. "Let me help. You're probably still tired from yesterday's shift."

Joe waved his hand and smiled. "I'm not tired, firebug. You go ahead, okay? It's a big day." He placed a gentle kiss against her forehead, then ushered her out of the living room. "I'll let you all know when lunch is ready."

She never really bothered to argue with him because he always won, so she followed his orders and went upstairs. Her sisters were gathered inside of her older sister's bedroom. Kimmie and Alice both had their hair done by Libby, neatly braided in the back and decorated with small seashell hairpins. The two were sprawled out on the bed and skimming through a scrapbook.

"Finally," Libby impatiently greeted April. "I was about to think you ran away to District 8 or something."

Two years ago, the eldest Kepner daughter won the 72nd Hunger Games at eighteen after she volunteered for Kimmie. In the beginning, people were skeptical of her abilities to win because she wasn't the strongest competitor that year. She was considered a dark horse. She hadn't exposed any of her strengths until about half of the tributes had died in the arena. Libby was smart, making allies with the right people and letting the arena take care of them without having to kill anybody. Rather than using her hands to kill, she managed to manipulate her allies into turning on each other. With about five people left, a tidal wave destroyed the majority of the arena and because she was an expert swimmer, she was the only person to survive.

She returned home barely scathed and was an instant local hero just like the district's past victors. Libby was now an icon in District 4, appearing on television shows and making frequent visits to the Capitol as a celebrity. She acted as a mentor for the tributes chosen after her, helping them prepare for the Games mentally and physically.

But at home, she remained that bossy older sister April despised half the time. As much as she was grateful that Libby came home via train and not in a casket, she couldn't help but feel a little jealousy towards her. Her sister was already popular growing up and winning made her even more popular. She never had the same high confidence in herself like she did, making them almost opposites.

The only thing they had in common besides their parents was their auburn hair.

"I went fishing with Reed," the second Kepner replied, rolling her eyes.

"I'm aware," Libby teasingly stated, pinching her nose shut. "April, go take a shower first. You stink."

April inhaled sharply as she left the bedroom, listening to her little sisters giggle at her in the background. She spent the next ten minutes taking a shower and drying her hair before returning to Libby's bedroom to have her hair fixed. Wearing a white robe, she took a seat in front of a mirror while her sister stood behind her.

"Nervous?" the victor questioned, running her fingers through April's damp hair.

"I'm trying not to think about it at all." She slightly turned her head to look up at her sister. "Did you think you'd make it out of that arena alive when you volunteered for Kimmie?"

Libby softly laughed, shaking her head. "God, no. But I didn't think about dying either." She adjusted April's hair, letting it hang over her shoulders. "Hmm… maybe I'll leave it down today, pull it back a little. I'll put a little flower in your hair. Maybe you'll draw attention from the boys."

"Oh, please," she scoffed. "None of the boys ever notice me regardless of how I look."

"Jackson Avery does," she hinted. "He's gorgeous. Why haven't you gone out on a date with him?"

"Because he doesn't count and it's not like he's ever asked me out," April argued. "Do you not remember all of the horrible things he did to me when we were kids? I don't see him the way all of the other girls do. He's what I call a beautiful nightmare."

"But you agree that he's gorgeous, so that's a positive." Libby brushed April's hair and chuckled. "For a while, I was beginning to think you and Reed were more than best friends."

She looked at her older sister through the mirror, furrowing her eyebrows. "Shut up. I like boys. I just don't know how to talk to them without embarrassing myself."

"It's quite simple, actually. All you say is, 'Hey, how are you?', and continue on from there. What's so hard about that?" Libby smirked as April rolled her eyes at her. "You'll never find a husband if you act this stubborn."

"_You_ don't even have a husband," she sneered.

"Yeah, but I have my options," she gloated, lightly tapping the top of April's head with her fingertips. Libby opened her jewelry box and picked up a pair of pearl earrings. "Wear these for good luck."

April eyed the earrings suspiciously. "Are those Mom's?" She watched her sister nod, then she shook her head. "I can't. I… I don't want to accidentally lose them. You know how clumsy I can be."

Libby sighed in frustration. "I guess this means I'll be putting them on for you later."

The two of them joined the rest of their family downstairs for lunch after the eldest Kepner finished doing April's hair. Joe and the younger Kepner daughters were patiently waiting for them in the dining room. He had cooked the fish she caught earlier along with some crab cakes and leftovers of the district's official seaweed bread.

The four daughters sat beside and across from each other, while Joe was seated at the end of the table. He smiled at all of them, admiring the hairstyles Libby had done for each of them. "You all look lovely, girls," he complimented.

"Libby let me wear her peach seashell hairpin," Alice proudly stated.

"And it suits you perfectly," she politely responded. Libby gestured her hand towards April. "How does April look in Mom's pearl earrings? I almost had to sit on her in order to put them on her ears."

Joe simply nodded. "You look just like your mother."

"See? I told you," she said, smirking at the second Kepner daughter.

"Hey, Dad? What if one of us gets chosen for the Games again?" Alice questioned with a frown.

There was an awkward silence in the dining room. All of their eyes wandered towards each other, but nobody knew exactly how to answer her question. Joe cleared his throat, picking up the bread basket and holding it out to Libby. "All we can do is hope none of your names are picked later."

"Except my name's in there seven times this year," April muttered. For every year a potential tribute ages without being chosen, their name is added one more time each year until they reached eighteen. Kimmie was fifteen, so her name was in the lottery four times.

"You're not the only eighteen year old in that bowl," her father reminded her. "Keep that in mind."

"Besides, someone might end up volunteering anyway," Libby noted with a shrug.

"From the boys' side," April added. "The girls in our district aren't as enthused about volunteering unless they're willing to save a family member like you did. Not everybody is lucky like that."

"All you have to do is not think about being chosen, okay? Stop being so negative."

Joe nodded in agreement, patting the back of April's hand. "Your sister's right. Have some faith, sweetheart."

The reaping was in two hours, but all April could think about was that damn bowl containing sealed pieces of paper of every eligible person's name, some multiple times. She knew she couldn't relax until her name was cleared in her last year of eligibility.

* * *

Town square was prepped and ready for the 74th reaping of the Hunger Games. The Capitol sent their own crew of Peacekeepers and workers to control the event. Each individual between the ages of twelve and eighteen were required to check-in to ensure they were in attendance by providing a drop of blood, so their DNA could be matched with the correct name. The boys and girls were divided into two sides with age groups organized from oldest to youngest. Parents and other family members were placed directly behind the potential tributes.

The entire district was gathered in front of the Hall of Justice where their mayor and victors from past Hunger Games were seated on a stage. Also on the stage were two large glass bowls, each filled with names of the boys and girls eligible for the Games. Cameras were set up at every angle possible for the live broadcast of the reaping.

April glanced down at the white sundress Libby forced her to wear. It wasn't her preferred outfit, but her sister claimed it was an eye catcher with the opposite sex. She felt quite uncomfortable with how visible her cleavage was. "I can't believe she made me wear white. I might as well wear a sign that says, 'Kill me now', and hang it around my neck," she grumbled.

"Whatever. You look stunning," Reed insisted, then she reached up and lightly touched her best friend's hair. "And I really like what she did with your hair. If Libby wasn't required to be a mentor, she would totally be a stylist. Maybe she'd work in the Capitol."

"Yeah, and when she comes home she'll be completely unrecognizable with her fake wig and overdone makeup," she scoffed, looking up at the Capitol escort assigned to District 4.

The woman on stage had mint green hair to accompany her emerald green dress, which appeared to be an expensive imitation of seaweed. Her high heels could literally break a normal person's ankles because they were so tall. Her face was almost ghost white due to the thick layers of makeup on her face. She also seemed overly perky and thrilled to be in the presence of one of the richer districts. None of the escorts ever felt excited to be assigned to districts lower than District 4.

Her name was Arizona Robbins. She had been last year's District 4 escort and returned for another round of reaping.

"Welcome, welcome! Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor," she excitedly greeted everyone, clapping her glove covered hands together. "Before we begin, we have a special film brought to you all the way from the Capitol, courtesy of President Webber."

It was the same routine every year. Prior to the actual reaping, a film was shown on a large screen about the history of the Hunger Games and its significance. April zoned out the voice of President Webber narrating the film as her eyes wandered elsewhere. First, she looked at Libby, who appeared bored out of her mind on stage. Beside her was Finn Dandridge, a victor who won the Games twenty years ago before the eldest Kepner girl was born. He served as a co-mentor with Libby and he had trained her when she was a tribute. The rest of the victors were retired, mostly in their mid-sixties or older. Two of them had already fallen asleep in their chairs.

She gazed over at the boys' side and noticed Jackson staring at her, to her dismay. He wore a half-buttoned up white dress shirt and khaki colored pants. The redhead was surprised he had bothered to wear a shirt since he seemed to prance around town topless almost every day. He loved to flaunt his fit physique, but she thought maybe his mother forced him to cover himself up. Although, he barely buttoned his top, so he still managed to show off his assets like he was a big shot model. The pretty boy smiled and playfully waved at her causing her to turn her head away immediately.

Once the short film ended, Arizona faced the crowd and grinned widely. "Now, it's time to select one courageous young man and woman to represent District 4 in the 74th annual Hunger Games. Ladies first," she announced, her heels clanking against the wooden stage as she approached the first bowl. Sifting through the various pieces of paper, she carefully picked up a name with two fingers and glided back to the microphone. After opening it, she took a deep breath and joyfully recited, "April Kepner."

_April Kepner._

Her eyes grew wide as the people surrounding her turned to face the newest tribute. She desperately hoped someone would pinch her and wake her up from this nightmare. It couldn't be her. It wasn't supposed to be her!

"April Kepner, where are you, dear?" Arizona inquired, scanning the crowd for her face.

Slowly slithering her way through the group of girls, April stepped into the aisle dividing the two sexes and swallowed hard. She mentally told herself continuously not to cry because she didn't want the outside world to see her vulnerable side. Peacekeepers brought her to the stage, helping her up the steps and positioning her beside Arizona. She briefly gazed over at Libby, who frowned at her. Neither of them had truly expected for this scenario to happen. She then spotted Joe in the crowd and despite the far distance between them, she could see tears in his eyes. Another one of his baby girls was going into the arena. Only this time, their family might not be as fortunate.

"And now for the boys," the peppy, green haired woman continued.

"I volunteer!" Jackson shouted, raising his hand as he pushed his way through the crowd. He stood in the middle of the aisle, placing his hands behind his back. "I'd like to volunteer as tribute."

"Ah! Very well, sir. We have a volunteer!" Arizona chirped, applauding his courageous move. There was little applause from the rest of the district as the pretty boy was taken to the stage. "And what is your name, you handsome man?"

He slightly leaned sideways close to the microphone. "Jackson Avery."

April noticed many of the girls weeping for Mr. Popular and she rolled her eyes. Some of them began chanting his name, yet it didn't seem to have an effect on him. His jaw was clenched as he stared straight ahead. No charming smile or playful winks to the ladies. He didn't look like the overconfident boy who was boasting about winning the Games earlier that morning. Something felt off.

But she decided it was pointless trying to figure him out since he would eventually kill her anyway.

"There you have it. Our tributes from District 4, April Kepner and Jackson Avery. Shake hands, you two," Arizona happily ordered, frighteningly grinning once again like a person high on drugs.

Jackson reached out his hand to April, who reluctantly extended her hand out to his. He firmly shook it, offering a half-smile at her in the process. She quickly moved her hand away and stared down at her shoes. There was no reason to be smiling.

One of them was going to die in a week. And she knew very well that between the two of them, she had little chance of surviving the first day.

* * *

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think :)**


	2. The Train Ride

**Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm really happy people are interested in this AU :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It hadn't fully hit April even when she sat alone in a room inside of the Hall of Justice. She only had a few minutes to say her goodbyes to her father and younger sisters before riding a train to the Capitol. Having Libby as her mentor didn't make her feel any better. She knew their district heavily favored Jackson to win, so her older sister and Finn would likely work to earn sponsors for him. There was nothing intimidating about her physically. She didn't consider herself clever enough to outwit her opponents.

She was bloodbath material. Every year, almost half of the tributes were killed during the initial starting point – also known as the bloodbath. The weak ones who were dumb enough to run towards the cornucopia to retrieve weapons or other supplies typically were the first people eliminated. Her only hope of surviving the first day would be to run away from all of the action and hide.

A Peacekeeper opened the door causing April to jump up from her seat. Joe, Kimmie and Alice entered the room and she immediately hugged all three of them. Her sisters were both in tears and she tried her hardest not to show how vulnerable she felt.

"Kimmie, take care of Alice, okay? You're the big sister now," the redhead advised, rubbing the third Kepner daughter's back. "Both of you listen to Dad. Don't give him a hard time at home."

"You'll win and come home, right?" Alice asked, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand.

April bit down on her bottom lip and sighed. She couldn't exactly say yes because even she doubted her odds of returning home in one piece. "I'll do my best." After giving her baby sister a hug, she turned towards Joe. "You guys will be fine without me."

"I told Libby to do everything she can to bring you home," the tall man informed her, wrapping his large arms around her petite body. "Dying isn't an option, firebug."

"Well, there's only so much I can control. I can't really promise you anything," she miserably replied, pulling away from her father. Being in the same situation as Libby brought back painful memories. "Feels like déjà vu, huh? This time, it's me going into the arena."

Joe rested his hand on April's shoulder. "Keep in mind that you're stronger than you perceive yourself to be. Show some confidence. You'll need it in there." He kissed her forehead and hugged her one more time. "Take care of yourself. You can win this if you think positive."

"I wish I had your attitude, Dad," she mumbled against his chest.

A minute later, the Peacekeeper returned and forcefully pulled April away from her family. He escorted her out of the room, while she blurted out her goodbyes to them. She suddenly felt ill because she was certain that was the last time she would see her loved ones.

* * *

"You volunteered. You're an idiot," Jackson's oldest brother Grayson bluntly stated. He shook his head at the pretty boy. "What are you trying to prove? You're already Mom's favorite because you're her baby boy."

"He just wants to be famous or whatever," Harrison, the middle brother, scoffed. "I bet he's trying to earn himself some big shot modeling contract in the Capitol. Maybe get himself a TV show simply for people to stare at him half-naked."

Jackson rolled his eyes. Out of the three Avery boys, he was the most attractive one. His mother occasionally pampered him because he was the youngest. He knew his older brothers were always jealous of him due to their mother's favoritism towards him. They probably wouldn't mind if he died in the arena, he thought.

Grayson playfully nudged his side with his elbow. "If you're gonna try to screw someone during the Games, just remember they have cameras everywhere. Try not to shame our family by being awful at sex on national television."

"Shut up. When I win you two will be bowing down to me," he boasted. "I'm going in to win, not to fool around with the ladies."

Catherine Avery entered the room, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. She hugged Jackson and kissed his cheek. "That was very silly of you to volunteer, baby. However, I'm confident you'll become District 4's next victor. Don't even worry about that Kepner girl. Joe has three more daughters to love and take care of anyway."

"Mom…" Jackson groaned. "That's a crappy thing to say. Mr. Kepner's one of your best fishermen."

"But you do realize that only one of you can win, right? You're my baby boy, so rooting for you is mandatory." She peppered kisses against his cheek causing his two brothers to snicker behind them. "Make us proud, sweetie."

"Where's Dad?"

"He went back to check on one of the factories," his mother regretfully answered. "But he sends his good luck to you."

Jackson sighed disappointedly. For whatever reason, Harper Avery Jr. was always too busy to spend time with him. It annoyed him that his father couldn't take a few minutes out of his time to say goodbye. He _was_ potentially leaving to face his death sentence after all. Or maybe Harper didn't want to accept the fact that one of his own was heading into the Hunger Games. It hurt enough that their relationship wasn't very close, like his father didn't exist in his life.

Before he knew it, a Peacekeeper came in to escort him outside. A crowd surrounded the car that would take him and April to the train station about ten minutes away. She and Arizona were waiting for the pretty boy in the car. The latter was already babbling about the Capitol's glamorous life, but the redhead appeared to be dazed and hardly paying attention to what she was saying.

He sat beside Arizona, glancing out the window at the people who were cheering or sobbing. The car drove away from the crowd and he faced forward. No nerves yet, but the realization that he practically volunteered to possibly die was finally hitting him. Although he had told his friends about volunteering, some of it was just showboating and trying to prove he wasn't afraid of being chosen. But truthfully, he hated the Games as much as the next person.

"Becoming a tribute is an honor. You will forever be remembered as a part of history," the perky woman pointed out with a grin. "And if you come out as the victor, you will be treated like a god _or_ a goddess. Make a good impression with your interviews and the people will admire you even more if you win."

"Sponsors are everything, right?" Jackson inquired.

"Oh, yes. More love means more sponsors," Arizona enthusiastically replied. She playfully pointed at him. "And you, Mr. Avery, won't have any trouble winning over the Capitol citizens, especially with those dreamy eyes. Just keep flashing that charming smile of yours for the cameras."

He slightly leaned forward, taking a peek at April. She stared at her hands with a frown on her face, likely fighting the urge to turn into a sobbing mess. "Maybe we could help each other earn sponsors." His partner remained quiet and turned her head away from them. "Just a suggestion."

When they arrived at the train station more Peacekeepers were present to take them to their next ride. The train was elegant inside, decorated with fancy furniture and carpets. There were tables of desserts set up beside a bar.

"Have a seat, you two. We'll be leaving the station shortly," Arizona instructed, waving her arms towards the empty couches. She sauntered away in her uber high heels and left the two tributes alone in the common room.

April slowly took a seat on the couch and smoothed out her white dress. Jackson sat down across from her on another couch and unbuttoned his shirt completely. "It's hot in here, don't you think?" he questioned, opening his shirt to reveal his chiseled body.

"I bet covering your torso must be a drag for you," she sarcastically answered and folded her arms.

"This shirt _is_ kind of itchy," he said, removing his shirt. She groaned in disgust and looked away from him causing him to laugh. "What?"

"Do you ever wear a shirt for more than thirty minutes?"

Jackson quickly shrugged. "It can get really hot in our district. You should know that since we both grew up here," he nonchalantly stated. "So… I was thinking we could start planning our strategies for the Games-"

"Why bother? Only one of us can survive," April irritably replied. "People from District 4 are probably already betting their entire life savings on you to win. And don't even try to be friends with me because it's pointless."

"You never give me the chance anyway," he mumbled, rolling his eyes. "There's nothing wrong with forming an alliance with your tribute partner. Most teams protect each other, you know."

"Well, I don't want or need your protection."

The redhead stood up, leaving the room just as their two mentors walked inside through another door. Libby raised her eyebrow at Jackson. "What did you say to my sister?"

"Nothing. I was offering some alliance stuff, that's all." Jackson pushed himself up from the couch. "Do you want me to go get her? I figured you and Finn want to discuss business or whatever."

Libby shook her head. "No, you sit down and put your shirt back on. I'll get her." It took a minute to find her sister hiding in a bathroom, then she brought her back to the common room gripping her shoulders to prevent her from running away. "April, you stay here with Finn. Jackson, come with me."

The two teenagers switched places on the couch. April watched her sister leave with Jackson and gazed back at Finn, who sat across from her. She struggled to stare at him for longer than five seconds. The man was in his late 30's, but he was once the dreamboat that people considered Jackson to be now. His gorgeous blue eyes stood out like a sore thumb. And even at an older age, he remained attractive as ever.

But she felt rather intimidated by his presence. The way he intensely stared at her, like he was attempting to pick her brain without speaking. Her stomach was in knots and she could barely look him in the eye.

"What are your skills?" the former victor questioned with a serious tone.

"My- my skills?" April chewed on her bottom lip. There wasn't much to say about her so-called skills. "Umm… I don't think I have any useful skills for the arena."

Finn narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. "Not the answer I was looking for. You're gonna need a skill and a damn fine good one. Otherwise, the other tributes – specifically, the Careers – will come gunning for you first. You can't show them you're weak."

"Libby didn't use her hands to kill anybody," she noted.

"Can you manipulate people like she can?" He sighed when she remained silent. "Also, hiding like a coward isn't how tributes represent District 4. We're fighters. We don't hide unless we're being chased by some lethal muttation that they throw into the arena."

"It's not my fault I was reaped," the redhead argued. "And I'm sorry I wasn't athletically gifted when I was born. Not everyone was built the same way. I'm not a fighter."

"Well, you're gonna have to learn how to become one. I know this isn't what you wanted for yourself, but now you just gotta suck it up and deal with it," Finn advised. "Libby and I won't be in the training center with you, so Jackson can teach you how to use the weapons they have available. I'll teach you how to fight when we're back at our apartments. You only have a few days to prepare for the Games."

April timidly brushed aside strands of her hair behind her ear. "Does it really matter? Jackson's the stronger competitor between the two of us. Arizona said so herself – the sponsors will fall in love with him instantly."

"But you're Libby's sister. If you weren't, it would be easier to neglect you and spend all of our time and effort mentoring Jackson," he straightforwardly said, drawing a scowl from the young woman. "Listen, I mentored your sister two years ago. She was just as stubborn as you were about all of this, but she learned to accept her fate and she pulled through. If you want to do the same, you need to drop the poor attitude."

"He's right, young lady," Arizona chimed in after she returned from the bar, martini in hand. She sat beside Finn and grinned widely at April. "Chin up. We'll arrive at the Capitol tomorrow morning, so you'll have plenty of time to practice your sponsor winning smile."

Libby and Jackson returned from their brief meeting alone. Both of them appeared to be sporting poker faces, so April kept a mental memo to herself to ask the older Kepner what that meeting was about. At least the pretty boy kept his freaking shirt on for once.

* * *

Dinner on the train was relatively quiet – except for Arizona's constant rambling about the Capitol. Occasionally, Jackson asked Finn and Libby questions about survival tips. April rarely let out a peep and only spoke when she was required to. Her appetite was nonexistent having only touched a smidge of her food. For whatever reason, Jackson continuously stared at her, but she avoided eye contact with him. If she was allowed to, she would have stabbed his bluish-green eyes with her fork.

Following dinner, they gathered around the common room to watch the reaping ceremonies from the other districts. April was the first to sit down on the couch, followed by Jackson, who sat close beside her. "Do you mind?" she grumbled, glaring at him. "There's no need to suffocate me."

He slightly scooted away from her. "Sorry." Tapping his fingers against his knees, his eyes slowly reverted back to the redhead. "It's that time of the month, huh? I bet that's why you're extra moody."

"Excuse me?" she sternly replied. "Not that it's any of your business, but no."

Jackson snickered, which only infuriated her even more. "Maybe you're better off pissed throughout the Games. You might scare somebody enough to kill them," he teased. "And you're kind of cute when you're angry."

"Oh, please. Don't even think about hitting on me," April scoffed, folding her arms. "You're not even my type."

"What _is_ your type? Reed?" He let out a laugh when she turned and slapped his chest hard. "Well, you don't hit like a girl. That's a plus."

"You're such a-"

"Charming man? I like to believe I can work my charm on just about anybody," he bragged. "Including grumps like you."

She spun around on the couch to look at Libby. "Can you _please_ get him away from me?"

Libby dismissively waved her hand. "Quit acting like a whiney baby, Apes. Anyway, on to the real business. We're going to show you each district in order, obviously starting with District 1. Sometimes you can sense a tribute's vulnerability level by their body language."

"And for the record, the Careers never show their vulnerability. They train for this. It's in their blood," Finn added with a wink. He used a remote to play the first reaping. "And here are your District 1 tributes."

The first set of tributes volunteered without hesitation. The female tribute was a young, Latina woman who proudly waved at her fellow citizens as they applauded her. For the male side, a group of boys shamelessly fought and pushed their way towards the stage to volunteer. In the end, a tall Caucasian boy came out victorious. He appeared overly smug about representing his district, smiling and raising his arms over his head.

But District 1 wasn't the most intimidating group. That honor went to District 2. First, a young, Asian woman simply raised her hand and volunteered without speaking a word. She never cracked a hint of a smile nor did she let out a peep except for when their Capitol escort asked for her name. The male tribute had broad shoulders like he was raised in a military camp. His red hair complemented the scowl on his face. Both of them meant business. District 2 almost always had the most vicious tributes. The majority of the winners hailed from there.

They sat through each reaping, trying to determine who could be their biggest threats outside of the Career districts. The youngest tribute had to have been from District 3. A young brunette who probably wasn't older than thirteen. From District 5, the daughter of a former victor had been reaped. In District 7, two tall people – a brown haired man and a blonde woman – looked like possible dark horses. District 12 had two surprisingly potential competitors. Both appeared healthy and strong. The young man appeared bitter and angry, almost livid enough that he could probably rip somebody's head off with his bare hands.

"So, what do you think?" Finn asked after he turned off the TV. "District 2 is definitely your biggest threat. I wouldn't sleep on District 7 either. This year looks like you may have stiff competition besides the Careers."

April frowned. As she watched each district's reaping, she thought every tribute would fare better than she did. Even the female tributes from the last two districts could probably annihilate her easily. She refused to speak and quietly stood up to leave the room.

Arizona placed her hand against her chest, shaking her head disappointedly. "That April is quite the drama queen, isn't she?"

"Actually, she's the complete opposite," Libby retorted, rolling her eyes at the green haired woman as she walked away to find her sister.

Jackson pushed himself up from the couch, stretching his arms above his head. "You know, I think it's time for me to get some rest. It's been a long day. Don't want to oversleep and wake up at the Capitol's train station," he excused himself, smiling at Finn and Arizona. The latter gushed over his pearly whites before he left.

He quietly strolled through the corridor, stopping when he overheard sobs coming from another room. The sliding door was partially open and he used the small crack to peek inside. April was in her bedroom with Libby. The younger Kepner was in tears, while her sister comforted her on her bed. It was the first time since the reaping he saw her unleash the waterworks.

"I'm gonna die," she blurted out to her sister. "There's no way- I mean, _no way_ I can win, Libby."

"Trust me. I'm gonna do everything I can to bring you home," she insisted, gently rubbing her lower back. "I'll find a way to convince the sponsors to help you out. And Jackson-"

"Don't even talk about that jerk," April snapped, wiping away her tears with her hands. "I hate him."

Jackson grimaced after hearing her last comment. Nobody ever told him to his face that they despised him. Then again, it seemed everybody in their age group worshipped him, so it was unusual to hear someone openly admit their hatred for him. Maybe he was more naïve than he originally thought, but he was surprised that April couldn't stand to be around him.

Walking into his own bedroom, he was determined to sway her opinion of him. He needed at least one ally in the arena, his district partner being the most important one.

* * *

**Any guesses for who the other tributes are (some are easy lol)? Next chapter, more characters will be introduced :)**


	3. The Tributes

**Thank you for the reviews! So I suppose this is when the fun stuff begins :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Rise and shine, lovely!" Arizona chirped as she swiftly opened the curtains of April's room. The sunlight came bursting through the window, shining light at the redhead's face. She instantly woke up and buried her head underneath her pillow. "Chop, chop! We'll be arriving in the Capitol at approximately two hours. Breakfast will be served in fifteen minutes."

April groaned after the perky woman left her room. Sitting up on her bed, she rubbed her eyes and sighed. She hoped the reaping and the train ride were all just a bad dream, but unfortunately, it remained a reality. The bed was comfortable, yet it took her a few hours in the middle of the night to fall asleep. All she wanted to do was fall back onto her pillow and pass out again.

Libby entered the room and yanked the blanket away from her sister's body. "Get out of bed, Apes. You can't waste any time now or Arizona will be all over your ass," she ordered. "Finn and I need to talk to both you and Jackson, so wash your face and meet us in the dining area in five."

The younger Kepner climbed out of bed, shooting a glare at her sister on her way to the bathroom. She changed into the white dress she wore at the reaping, the only attire available to her aside from the set of pajamas provided in the train. Her hair wasn't as neat as it was the day before, but she didn't care. When she walked into the dining area her two mentors and Jackson were already seated at a table with Arizona. She noticed the pretty boy had his dress shirt on and buttoned almost all the way, probably Libby's doing. She was forced to sit down beside her district partner, who offered a smile.

"Good morning," he greeted her.

"Uh huh," she lazily replied, reaching for the coffee in the middle of the table.

Finn folded his hands on top of the table. "Now that we're all here, let's begin with the basics. When we arrive at the train station you'll be greeted by Capitol citizens. Remember to smile and wave because that's when you need to start making your first impressions on them. We'll head straight to the training center where you'll meet your stylists and be prepped for the tribute parade."

"And after the parade, you'll be taken to your apartment," Libby added.

"Apartment? As in singular?" April worriedly asked, then she pointed at Jackson. "I have to live with him?"

"Oh, stop. It's only for a few days and you'll have separate rooms, so quit whining," her older sister chided. "Anyway, we have more important things to discuss. Both of you need a special skill to show to the Gamemaker because your score depends on your skill and the amount of sponsors you receive depends on that score."

Finn nodded his head towards Jackson. "I've seen you with a trident, so you'll be just fine with that." He slowly gazed over at April, whose eyes quickly shot down towards the table. "It's her I'm worried about. She needs a skill. She doesn't have any."

Ouch. April tried her best not to show how much hearing that stung. She hated being put on blast in front of everyone even though what her mentor said was true. There wasn't one specific skill she could think of that would help save her life in the arena. She was definitely screwed.

"I've seen her tie knots," Jackson chimed in. "She ties them real good. She could make a noose."

"Are you trying to tell me to hang myself?" she retorted with a scowl.

He stared back at her with a puzzled expression on his face. "Huh? No! You're putting words in my mouth. I was simply pointing out the fact that you _do_ have a skill to offer."

Finn waved his hand. "She needs a better skill than that. One with a weapon. You can't be defenseless in that arena."

"And another thing, dearie. Your attitude still needs to change too," Arizona pointed out while she sipped her tea. "No more pouting. Didn't I tell you to practice your smile for the Capitol citizens?"

"I assure you she'll be better in an hour. I'll make sure of that," Libby insisted, giving April a stern stare.

Jackson cleared his throat to break the tension. "So, uhh… what should we do first when we're in the arena?" He asked, changing the subject. "I know they build a new one every year, but is there something important we do first in general?"

"Find fresh water and as much as I know you'll want to build a fire for warmth, don't do it. You're just asking yourself to be killed," Finn advised. He motioned his arm towards April. "Also, it's best if you two stick together. It looks good for District 4 if you stay alive as long as you can. Maybe make some allies, but be careful with that. The only person you can truly trust is yourself."

Libby looked back at Jackson. "Remember our talk."

The comment drew immediate curiosity from her younger sister. "What did you two talk about?" Neither of them responded to her and she grew impatient. "I'm serious. If it was about me, then I have a right to know. That's not fair."

The elder Kepner shook her head. "It's nothing. Nothing for you to be concerned about," she nonchalantly replied. "Do either of you have any other questions before we start breakfast?"

While Jackson started throwing any question he could come up with at their mentors, April remained silent. Whatever Libby had talked about with him began to bother her. What was so secretive about their conversation that she wasn't allowed to know the details? Obviously, it had to be about herself. Otherwise, they wouldn't hesitate to tell her.

* * *

When the train arrived in the Capitol's station there were hundreds of citizens waiting for them. It was like a rainbow exploded because people of different hair colors and extravagant outfits filled the area. They appeared just as ridiculous as Arizona with their big, fake wigs and clothing that looked uncomfortable to move around in. And they acted as if they were meeting celebrities with the way they screamed and smiled brightly at the incoming tributes.

"Look at all those people," Jackson murmured as he grinned and waved at the citizens. Some were already enamored by his gorgeous smile that they blew kisses at him. He even played with the crowd, winking at women and making them swoon.

April, on the other hand, was less enthusiastic about the entire scene. She forced herself to smile, but she really just wanted to duck away from the window and hide. These were people who saw the Games as entertainment. They clearly lacked any sympathy for the tributes. It was pitiful.

They were brought to the training center where they would eat, sleep, do everything necessary until it was time for the main event. Both of them were taken to a special room where they were required to strip down and wear a plain, white gown. More creepy looking Capitol citizens had each of them lie down on a table, so they could work on making them clean and presentable. Even the male tributes' body hair were waxed off. For a quick second, April was thankful that she was _not_ a guy.

Her hair had been rinsed, shampooed and dried off before they sent her to another room where her stylist awaited. A woman with long, auburn hair stood inside. She was dressed in a black dress, a matching leather jacket with fur and she could probably stab somebody with her lethal high heels. Unlike most of the Capitol citizens, she appeared fairly normal. Not made up like a clown. The gold eye shadow and red lipstick weren't over the top.

"You must be April," the woman said as she approached the teenager. She extended out her hand and softly smiled. "Addison Montgomery. I'm your stylist."

"You don't look like a freak," April blurted out, covering her mouth afterwards. "Well, I mean… y-you don't look like those other people in the Capitol. Umm… you look _human_."

Addison chuckled as she escorted her to a couch. "I suppose I can take that as a compliment. Let's have a seat." She faced the younger redhead after they sat down. "I've seen video of your district's reaping. I sense you're prettier than you let on. A smile would definitely help."

"You're not the first person to tell me that," she mumbled.

"Listen, I understand how unfortunate this is for you. I really do. This is my third year as a stylist for the Games – my first for District 4 – and it's disheartening to work my magic on a tribute, get to know them a little better only for them to die in the arena. Not every person in the Capitol is a fan of this, okay?" Addison tucked back strands of April's hair behind her ear and smiled. "I'm not here just to transform you into a pretty display for the crowd. I also want you to feel confident and beautiful."

She slightly smiled at her stylist. "You kind of remind me of my mom. She died when I was eight."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. Anyway, I'm going to take good care of you until it's time for the Games," Addison ensured her, offering a gentle pat against April's back. "And I'm gonna make you desirable to the people."

* * *

The evening arrived and all twenty four tributes were waiting for the tribute parade to begin. Addison walked April outside, showing off the white and aqua dress to her fellow stylists. It was a strapless dress that shimmered in the light. Her hair was slightly curled and decorated with a seashell hairpin. Her stylist used some eyeliner and lipstick for her face, but the body glitter just made her feel sticky.

But despite all of that, she thought Addison did an acceptable job. She still felt like a normal person and not some circus freak for everyone to point and laugh at. Various bystanders were staring at her and not because she looked hideous.

April waited by her district's chariot and lightly petted the white horse beside her. Soon after, Jackson arrived wearing practically nothing – just a very short and strategically placed net over his groin, a necklace with a trident charm attached to it and sandals. "Wow, I bet it took them hours to dress you in _that_," she sarcastically greeted him.

He glanced down at his skimpy article of clothing. "But it's comfortable."

She couldn't help but stare at his perfectly toned body. His stylist had purposely oiled him up, so the lights would reflect off of his body well. His chiseled abs and chest, his smooth olive skin… how could anyone look so _perfect_? April snapped out of her zone when he returned her gaze.

"Impressed?" he teasingly asked.

"God, no. You look ridiculous," she scoffed and rolled her eyes. "If your assets are as small as that outfit, then I honestly won't be impressed."

"I can show you if you want," he playfully offered, reaching for the knot keeping his net together.

April turned away from him and groaned. "Don't be a pervert."

Jackson smirked as he inched closer to her. "It's alright if you like what you see. I won't be offended." He scanned her outfit and smiled back at the redhead. "You look really beautiful."

April raised both of her eyebrows, surprised by his compliment. She rarely heard members of the opposite sex tell her she was beautiful. "I… umm…" She ducked her head, biting her bottom lip. "Umm, thank you."

Another man approached them from another direction. He was Caucasian with brown hair and taller than Jackson. It was the tribute from District 7. They both remembered him from the video they watched on the train. He wore a brown vest with the material designed to resemble a tree and matching brown pants. It was an ugly outfit, but April appeared to be fond of his muscular arms and handsome face.

"Hi," he timidly greeted the twosome and gestured his hand towards April. "I couldn't help but notice you from where I was standing and I had to talk to you. You… you look amazing. Really gorgeous."

She nervously chuckled knowing her cheeks had changed into a bright shade of red. "Thank you."

He barely acknowledged Jackson's presence and smiled at her. "I'm Matthew. Matthew Taylor."

"April Kepner," she introduced herself, shaking Matthew's hand.

"Want some peppermint bark?" Matthew offered, holding out pieces of the candy in front of her. "They're delicious. Not as great as the ones made in my district, but this'll do."

"Sure. I'd love some," she chirped, picking up a piece and eating it.

Jackson furrowed his eyebrows as he watched his district partner interact with one of their potential enemies. He shifted closer to April, placing his hand against her lower back. "You know, we really should be getting ready for the parade. I suggest you do the same," he suggested.

Matthew snickered, his eyes studying Jackson's outfit or lack thereof. "Nice loincloth, Avery." He popped a piece of peppermint bark into his mouth as he walked away. "It was nice meeting you, April."

The pretty boy waited until he was a good distance away before he grumbled, "Douche."

"He was _friendly_," April corrected him, taking a step back. "Also, touch me again and I'll kick you in the nuts. Got it?"

"Whatever. He wants you to think he's friendly, but when we're in the arena he'll wait for the right moment to slit your throat when you least expect it. Don't fall for his charm," he warned her.

"Funny. I can say the same thing about you," she countered.

Before he could respond, an announcement was made for the tributes to climb into their chariots. Jackson stepped inside first, holding out his hand to help April. She reluctantly accepted it and climbed inside beside him. Addison stood nearby, signaling to her tribute to smile by pointing at her pearly white grin. She half-smiled at her stylist as the parade started, beginning with District 1's chariot.

The crowd was boisterous, throwing roses at their favorites and cheering them on. The atmosphere was overwhelming, even for Jackson. "Geez," he mumbled through his wide grin as he waved to the Capitol citizens. "A bit much, don't you think?"

"It's the Capitol. There's no such thing as too much in their minds." She hated having to put on a fake smile and pretend she adored the people giving them love. It was a relief to know that her counterpart felt the same way, though. "Do you think they even see us as people?"

"Of course not. We're just little pawns for them to play with. Maybe we should give them a little show since that's what they want," Jackson proposed.

April glanced at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

Without a warning, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. He planted a firm kiss on her lips causing the crowd to roar in cheers. Her eyes grew wide, almost trying not to panic. The guy was randomly kissing her on national television! She desperately wanted to push him away and give him the hardest slap across the face, but she knew what he was doing. He probably earned them a bunch of sponsors from that kiss alone.

Jackson moved away, a smug grin forming on his face. He carried on, waving to the crowd as if the kiss never happened. "I think that did the trick."

She felt the warmth rushing to her cheeks as she tried to recollect herself. After their chariot parked in their designated space, she slapped his bicep. "Remind me to kill you later."

"Why? We won over the crowd," he argued, rubbing his arm. "Did anybody ever tell you that you have kissable lips?"

"W-what?" she awkwardly replied.

"They're soft and… kissable," he complimented. "Was that your first-"

"No!" April cut him off, shaking her head. She let out a laugh. "No, of course not. I've… I've kissed other boys. In fact, they were better than the stunt you just pulled."

He smiled to himself. "Yeah, okay."

She turned her head away from him hoping he wouldn't notice how humiliated she felt. Truthfully, she had never kissed a boy in her entire life and her first one just happened to be shown on national television. That stupid idiot.

Once all of the chariots were parked, President Webber appeared behind a podium on a stage that towered over the tributes. He waited for the crowd to silence themselves before he spoke into the microphone. "Welcome, tributes. And Happy Hunger Games! May the odds be ever in your favor."

He spent about five minutes speaking, then the parade was over. The chariots returned backstage, so the tributes' mentors, escorts and stylists could claim them. April remained irritated with Jackson's unexpected kiss as she stepped out of their chariot.

"That was quite an interesting move, Jackson," Finn stated, though he didn't seem impressed, but he wasn't angry either. "The crowd bought whatever the hell that was. They're calling you the District 4 Dreamboat now."

"It was silly and immature," Libby scolded him. "Because now the people will want to see this love story that doesn't exist. There isn't any chemistry between you two unless you can change that. If they find out you're just faking it all, your sponsorships go down the drain."

Arizona pointed at herself. "And that makes me look bad too, you know." She turned around, walking baby steps in her extremely high heels. "Come along. Time to take you to your apartment, so you can clean up and rest up for tomorrow morning's training session."

April huffed as she followed the now-blue haired woman into an elevator. The rest trailed behind as they squeezed inside the elevator. Libby stood beside her sister and touched her hair.

"You looked adorable, by the way," she praised. "I'm sure Daddy thought you were beautiful back at home."

"I need a shower," the younger Kepner muttered. "Especially after what _he_ did."

The elevator arrived on the fourth floor and the group stepped out into the hallway. Arizona led them into their apartment and smiled brightly at them. "Home sweet home! Isn't it lovely? I bet you don't have apartments like these even in your gorgeous district."

April noticed Avoxes already inside waiting to serve them. They were former rebels against the Capitol turned into servants and they were mute after having their tongues cut out. She slightly smiled at one until Libby nudged her.

"You're not supposed to interact with them unless they're told to," she whispered.

"Why?"

Libby shrugged. "That's just the way it is."

"The bathroom is over there," Arizona said, pointing down a hallway. "And your bedrooms are on the opposite end. We'll let you two clean up before we sit down for dinner."

April didn't hesitate to rush towards the bathroom. She wanted to claim the shower first before Jackson could. She thought it would be a simple shower, but it was more complex than that. There were various buttons along the wall for shampoo, conditioner and body wash. It took her about five minutes to decide what type of shampoo to use before she decided to just randomly choose the rest. Now she smelled like vanilla, strawberry and coconut lime breeze.

When she finished her shower she reached for a towel – until she realized she never hung one up on the hook on the wall. The closest thing she could use to dry herself was a bathrobe by the door. Carefully stepping out of the shower, she covered herself with her arms and scurried towards the bathrobe. Just as she was about to wear it, the door flew open causing her to scream.

"Whoa!" Jackson shielded his eyes with his forearm with a mischievous grin on his face. "I thought you were done."

"Obviously, I'm not!" she yelled, drawing the attention of Libby and Finn. The two mentors ran towards the bathroom and stood behind the pretty boy. "Get out! I'm naked under this robe!"

He didn't want to openly admit it with her older sister standing behind him, but he saw enough of April to make him a happy man. She tightly held the front of her robe against her body while she scowled at him. "So, uhh… can I use the bathroom now?"

The embarrassed redhead fled the bathroom, rushing past the other three. Libby caught Jackson checking out her sister's backside and placed her hands against her hips. "Do I have to pull you by the ear and drag you to your room? Because I'm willing to give you a lecture about how raging, horny hormones aren't a part of The Hunger Games."

"Uhh… no, ma'am," he sheepishly replied.

"Gross. Don't call me _ma'am_. I'm only two years older than you," she retorted before walking away to check on April.

Finn waited until the older Kepner was out of earshot. He smirked at Jackson, shaking his head. "You saw everything, didn't you?"

Jackson snickered and proudly nodded. "I'm not sorry."

* * *

The following morning, April had ignored Jackson all through breakfast. She remained furious at him for walking in on her in the bathroom. No man had ever seen her naked and she never thought highly of her body to begin with. She didn't think she had the body of a model. She felt like a string bean with breasts. And she had noticed the grin on his face. He either thought her body was pure comedy or he was a pervert. She actually hoped for the latter.

They were to report to the training center after breakfast for their first session. Dressed in their training center attire, they stepped into an elevator. It was completely quiet until Jackson decided to break the silence. "Do you want to work together today?" he politely asked, but she didn't respond and only stared in the open space in front of her. "If you're still upset about me seeing you naked-"

"You did see me naked?!" she gasped, moving away from him. "How much did you see?"

"Umm…" He chewed on his bottom lip, fighting hard not to smile. "It's not like I had a staring contest with your boobs."

April covered her face with her hands and groaned against her palms. "This is so embarrassing. Can't you just kill me now, please?"

"Calm down. You have a hot body," he chuckled.

"Shut up. Stop talking," she ordered, folding her arms against her chest. "You are not allowed to have an opinion about my naked body. You never saw anything, okay? And no more spontaneous kisses either."

Jackson sighed. "I'm sorry, alright? I mean it. I'm very sorry."

"You don't sound sincere."

"I don't recall you being this difficult when we were kids. You used to be so… so perky. Now you're just a bitch," he bluntly admitted.

"Well, excuse me for feeling angry about being here. Unlike you, I _didn't_ want to be a part of the Games," April irritably answered. She rushed out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened.

He followed her out and into the training center. Several tributes were already present. Unsurprisingly, the Careers from District 1 and 2 were taking advantage of the weapons station in one corner. They were likely the first people to arrive. Both Jackson and April had all of the tributes' names and districts memorized after they watched each reaping.

Callie Torres and Mark Sloan represented District 1. Each of them seemed to already have their weapon of choice – Callie carried around a sword, while Mark was practicing throwing spears at a dummy. The latter appeared very athletic and overly cocky. He would grin at his fellow tributes for every spear that hit the bullseye.

District 2 had Cristina Yang and Owen Hunt. These were the heavy favorites amongst the tributes. Both of them meant business, scowling at anybody who made direct eye contact with them. Their only friends were the tributes from District 1. The twosome were practicing with throwing knives and were highly skilled with the weapon.

The folks from District 3 were less hostile as they hung around a station containing brain games. Derek Shepherd watched a screen as Lexie Grey played a memory game, slapping numerous buttons at a rapid pace. She was the youngest, but also the smartest of the bunch.

Hanging out by the fire making station was Meredith Grey. Her mother was the great Ellis Grey, who had won the Games thirty years ago making her the first victor from District 5. People felt sorry for her daughter because she carried the most pressure to win. Ellis was considered a legend, so high expectations were placed on Meredith from the second she was reaped. Sitting beside her was Preston Burke, who worked diligently to create a campfire.

Almost unnoticed at the camouflage station was Teddy Altman of District 6. Her whole body was covered in brown and green paint as she practiced blending in with a tree. Her partner, Henry Burton, was pretending to be a bush.

April headed for the knot tying station because that was the only skill that came natural to her. Jackson opted to test out the tridents at the weapons station and quickly received inquisitive looks from the Careers. They clearly wanted him in their alliance.

The rest of the tributes began trickling into the training center searching for a station to practice their skills. Matthew approached April at the knot tying station and picked up some rope. "Mind if I join you?" he asked, smiling at the shy woman.

"Sure," she softly responded. "You know how to tie knots?"

He grimaced as he stared at the rope in his hands. "Umm… not really. I was hoping you would show me. In fact, if you teach me how to tie knots, I can teach you how to wield an axe in return. Is that cool?"

"Okay," she happily agreed.

From afar, Jackson inhaled sharply as he watched April laugh and smile with the hunky tribute from District 7. He loathed the man for a variety of reasons, but he hated the fact that Matthew could easily charm her without any problems. She may very well form an alliance with him, which made the pretty boy sick to his stomach.

"He kept talking about that girl last night," a female voice mentioned over his shoulder. Her name was Izzie Stevens, a sixteen-year old also from the lumber district. She was tall, blonde and quite attractive. She twirled an axe in her hand as she stood next to Jackson. "Matthew is smitten over her. Yeah, he really likes that one. I don't know why. She seems average to me."

"I don't think she's average," he disagreed, cracking a small smile. "She's better than average. She just hasn't realized that yet."

* * *

**Let me know what you think please :) Up next: more training center stuff and individual scores**


	4. The Scores

**Thank you for the reviews! :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Two hours of training was followed by lunch in the adjacent cafeteria. For the most part, tributes sat with their district partners. The Careers sat together conversing quietly and drawing strategies against the other competitors. They occasionally eyed their enemies before continuing their whispers.

Matthew had invited April to sit with him and Izzie. The latter didn't mind, making friendly conversation with the redhead. They eventually formed an alliance together. April initially refused to join forces with another district, but the tall and handsome man was too charming to deny. That left Jackson alone at his own table. No way did he want to mingle with the man from District 7, but he kept an eye on his teammate for any suspicious activity.

"So what's it like in District 4?" Izzie inquired while she chewed her food. "I heard you have beautiful beaches there."

"It's very blue because we're practically bordered by water. Umm… it smells like fish a lot, but people who live there are used to it," April politely answered. "What about you guys?"

"Trees. Lots and lots of trees," the blonde replied with a chuckle. "My father's a lumberjack and so is Matthew's."

Matthew nodded, smiling at April. "If you're not a lumberjack, you're most likely a carpenter or you're stuck in a factory producing paper."

"You two are both really good with the axe," she complimented.

"Axe throwing is a major part of our education at school," Izzie explained. She laughed at April's surprised expression. "It sounds a bit nuts, but the older people ahead of us thought it was best if we all learned a specific skill early, so when we're eligible for the Games we won't look as weak as say, District 8 through 12."

"Huh, sounds smart," April murmured. "I wish my district was like that. Well, most of the boys learn how to use a trident early on in childhood, but it's not forced upon us girls. Jackson, he's really good with it. Even I have to admit that."

"Tell us more about him," Matthew said, changing the subject. He briefly eyed the pretty boy from their table. Jackson stared back at him and slightly furrowed his eyebrows. "Does he have any weaknesses?"

She slowly shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure, to be honest. He's very athletic and umm... I've never seen him show any sort of weakness, which is probably why people are already betting on him to win."

Izzie mischievously grinned at April. "Now tell us about that kiss during the parade. And don't try to tell us you tripped and coincidentally landed on his lips. Was he amazing?"

The redhead forced herself to laugh. Her kiss with Jackson was a moment she hated thinking about because it was her first kiss with a boy she didn't want to kiss in the first place. But she remembered she was supposed to play it up and pretend they were an item, which made her uncomfortable. She also knew Matthew was attracted to her. While she couldn't openly say it, the feeling was mutual.

"He's a goofball that guy," she chuckled. "Acts obnoxious in an adorable way."

"And he's _so_ gorgeous," Izzie added, glancing over April's shoulder at Jackson. "Seriously, I bet girls would be all over that guy if he wasn't here with us. That's how it is at home, huh?"

"Umm…" She looked back at her district partner. He made eye contact with her, forcing her to face the District 7 tributes again. Softly smiling at them, she poked at her leftover food. "He knows he's a dead man if I catch him with other girls."

Matthew cleared his throat. "So, you and Jackson are like… together?" He awkwardly laughed as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I was- I was under the impression that you hated him. I mean, when I watched you two you seemed to want to kill him on the spot."

"We butt heads once in a while," April sighed.

"That's so depressing – both of you being here. Doesn't that suck?" Izzie asked disappointedly.

"Well, he volunteered himself," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"He volunteered to protect you? That is so heroic of him."

"Stupid, if you ask me," Matthew scoffed. "If Jackson cares about you, he should've talked somebody into volunteering for _you_ in the case you were chosen. And even if he still got picked, he'd only have to worry about himself."

April sensed he was bitter about her fake relationship with Jackson based on the tone of his voice. Maybe she just gave Matthew a bigger reason to kill him now, not that she desperately wanted him dead… yet. Realistically, both men would be dead anyway if she were to come out as the victor.

Across the room, Jackson stood up after he finished his lunch. He dumped his tray in a bucket and he was about to leave to squeeze in some extra training, but a hand pulled on his arm. It was Cristina Yang.

"Pretty Boy, my friends and I have a lucrative offer for you," the Asian woman started, smiling at him innocently. It was clear to Jackson she wasn't a natural smiler and he felt almost fearful of her. "You are definitely the type of guy we want in our alliance. Think about it – we'll take care of half of the tributes during the bloodbath, then pick off the rest when we have the opportunity. It'll be fun."

"And when it's just us we basically try to off each other until one's left?"

Cristina quickly nodded. "But for the record, I'll come out on top. Don't underestimate me because I'm a woman," she warned. Grazing Jackson's abdomen with her finger, she grinned widely at him. "What do ya say?"

Jackson was officially disturbed by Cristina's attempt at flirting. He liked her better when she was silent and scowled at everybody. The fake cheerfulness was pathetic. "Uhh, thanks but no thanks. I don't associate with snakes," he bluntly said, brushing off her hand away from his body.

"You're making a mistake, Avery," she hissed, her face returning back to her intimidating glare. "You'll be a dead man before day one is over in the arena."

"Whatever," he dismissively replied, turning around to leave.

April watched him walk out of the cafeteria, slightly impressed by how fast he rejected Cristina's offer. She was certain he would have joined them, even if it was for strategic reasons. And the sight of the District 2 tribute trying to flirt with Jackson disgusted her. It reminded her of the girls at home in District 4 who literally did the same thing to catch his attention.

What made her feel uneasy, though, was when she noticed the Careers staring at her from their table. They were studying her, possibly analyzing what they could do to her to spite Jackson.

_Great_, she thought. Now she was Career bait thanks to her district partner.

* * *

The following morning, it was the same routine as the previous day. Breakfast first, training session afterwards. And like before, April wandered off with Matthew leaving Jackson alone and irritated. He refused to interact with anybody, especially the Careers. The tributes from Districts 1 and 2 eyed him like a hawk. Since he rejected Cristina's offer he figured he was their most disliked opponent in the group. He was confident he could take them all out, though.

But oddly enough, his personal threat was Matthew. The charming demeanor didn't feel genuine to him. It was the Hunger Games after all. He had witnessed past tributes play nice with others in the arena only to stab them in the back – literally – moments later. While it was somewhat of a good idea for April to learn how to use any weapon, he hoped she was fully aware that she shouldn't completely trust the District 7 tribute.

"Why aren't you with your little girlfriend?" a voice questioned Jackson from behind. He turned around to see a jolly Charles Percy standing beside him. The District 10 tribute was tall and bulky, but that didn't automatically translate to powerful strength. His district had very little victors, but some threats emerged from time to time.

"What?"

"C'mon, man. Everyone knows you two are the tragic love story of this year's Games," Charles teasingly replied. "You haven't answered my question. You're letting that guy help her out when you could be doing the same thing?"

The pretty boy sighed as he glanced back at April. "She doesn't want to be around me right now."

He dismissively waved his hand and laughed. "You're giving up too easily, Avery. Think about it – there isn't a whole lot of time left to be with that woman. She could die on the first day or someone manages to end your life before you're ready to go. At least, you know… seal the deal with her before one of you is killed in the arena."

Jackson rolled his eyes. If he even tried to place a hand on April, she wouldn't hesitate to chop it off with her axe. "I gotta ease into it. She can be stubborn, so I can't just walk up there and plant a big one on her."

"Sure you can!" Charles insisted with a grin. "She's your woman. You can do whatever the hell you want."

"Why are you being so helpful?" he curiously asked. "People like the Careers already want me dead."

The black haired man shrugged and smiled. "I'm not gonna win this thing, so I might as well make a friend or two before I die." He extended out his hand to Jackson. "How about it? Buds?"

He almost felt sorry for Charles. The guy had already accepted his impending death like it was nothing. Maybe he wasn't a major threat compared to Matthew and the Careers. "Yeah, okay," he accepted the offer, shaking his hand. "But uhh… I think your reputation can still be saved if you make an effort in staying alive. I won't kill you if you won't kill me."

"Unless we have to."

"Of course."

Over at the weapons station, April stepped back after her axe missed the dummy and ricocheted against the wall, landing close to her feet. She groaned in frustration. "My aim is terrible," she dejectedly stated. "I'm sorry, Matthew, but I wasn't meant to be skillful with that thing."

Matthew softly smiled as he picked up the axe. "You just need some more practice and patience," he insisted. "You're not concentrating on your target hard enough. Focus on the target and ignore everything else. Try again."

She took back the axe from him and held it in front of her. Closing one eye shut, she stared directly at the bullseye located on the dummy's chest. Winding up her arm – and nearly cutting Matthew's cheek – she took a deep breath before she threw the axe. It cut into the dummy… right on the crotch.

"Crap!" April rushed towards the dummy and struggled to pull the axe out. She stumbled after her momentum threw her backwards, forcing Matthew to catch her.

The sound of playful applause caught April's attention. "Nice work, Kepner," Alex Karev of District 12 scoffed. He was one of the least friendliest tributes in the bunch, but most people from the poorest district had reasons to be bitter. "For once, the worst female tribute might actually be from one of the higher districts. How do you expect to survive in the arena without any skills?"

"I've got skills," the redhead argued, placing her hand on her hip. "And you should be the last person talking considering I haven't seen you train at all except during those group exercises."

"That's 'cause I'm not stupid enough to show off what I can do in front of everybody when it matters least. You, you've basically proven to all of the tributes how weak you are," Alex harshly said. "Not a smart choice on your part."

Jo Wilson, the female tribute from District 12, grabbed a hold of Alex's arm and tugged him away. "Excuse him. My partner's a classified jerk at home and he has no idea what manners are," she irritably noted.

"Manners? Pshh, does it really freakin' matter? We're all here to kill each other," he retorted. "And I'm helping you out by showing you who to go after first. I mean, if either of us have a chance to win the damn thing, you gotta know who you can kill."

April angrily huffed. "I'm _not_ the weakest."

"Keep telling yourself that," the obnoxious tribute sneered before his district partner escorted him away.

Jackson watched the entire exchange and he wished he could beat Karev's face in. Rules forbade tributes from physically hurting each other until they were in the arena, so he couldn't do much about it. April looked determined not to cry in front of their peers. That would only solidify the comments regarding her weaknesses. He needed to do something because he sure as hell didn't want Matthew being the one to comfort her.

Setting his trident against the wall, he quietly approached her and without saying a word, Jackson cupped April's cheeks and kissed her lips. It wasn't rushed like at the tribute parade. He kissed her slowly, sliding his tongue into her mouth and drawing a faint moan from her. Her knees grew weak and she dropped her axe to grasp his forearms.

Some of the tributes stopped what they were doing and stared at the twosome. Mark whistled from nearby, while Matthew simply rolled his eyes at the sight. Finally, the head trainer arrived to separate them.

"Break it up. The training center isn't for making out. Do it on your own time," Erica Hahn sternly ordered. She glared at Jackson after he pulled away from April. "You may be a heartthrob back at home, but that doesn't give you special privileges here."

He smirked as the older woman walked away. Looking back at his district partner, her cheeks were flushed and she nervously chewed on her bottom lip. "Sit with me at lunch later?"

Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, April slowly nodded. "Uh huh," she lazily replied. She quickly walked past him and softly laughed. "I'm gonna go tie some knots."

Feeling satisfied with himself, Jackson twitched his eyebrows at Matthew and smugly smiled at him. The latter furrowed his eyebrows, turning away to find something else to do that didn't include hacking the pretty boy's face with an axe. Once that was settled, Jackson decided to join April at the knot tying station. He picked up some rope and examined the knot she was making.

"Bowline?" he inquisitively asked.

"Running bowline," she corrected him, her eyes focused on the knot.

He scooted closer to her and whispered, "About that kiss, I… I saw that douche talking smack and-"

"I know," she murmured. "You don't have to explain yourself. We're supposed to be in a relationship, remember?"

Jackson softly chuckled. "Well, I just hope you don't try to slap me later in the elevator when we're finished here," he jokingly said. She slightly smiled in response. "You were probably pretending that dummy was me, huh?"

April raised her eyebrow at him. "Not everything's about you. I'm aware that you love yourself and all…" She snickered causing him to laugh as well. "For once, I wasn't thinking about killing you."

"Are we having a friendly conversation right now?" he asked in amusement.

"Don't flatter yourself too much," she playfully teased, then she left him alone and moved to another station.

Jackson leaned back against a table, watching April while she tested out the camouflage station. To him, they were a step closer to becoming friends. He thought she was starting to warm up to his charm. At least he hoped she was. Working together in the arena would be much easier if she could trust him.

* * *

The tributes had just two days left before they were sent into the arena for the 74th Hunger Games. One day was reserved for each individual to display their skills in front of the Gamemaker, Miranda Bailey, to determine their scores leading into the event. The scores were vital for sponsorships – the higher the score, the greater chance of receiving gifts in the arena.

Finn called for a meeting after their training session to discuss more strategies with Jackson and April. They were gathered in the living room with Libby, Arizona and Addison sitting on adjacent couches. Word spread of their steamy kiss from that morning, so the two eighteen-year olds knew that would be one of the topics discussed.

"Heard you put on a little show downstairs in the training center," the older man started, but he didn't sound disappointed. Finn winked at Jackson. "Good job, Avery."

The pretty boy smiled, throwing his arm around April's shoulders. "Thank you," he graciously replied. He noticed his partner glancing back and forth between him and his hand and he quickly returned to his original position. "Sorry."

"Oh, put your arm back, Mr. Avery," Arizona cheerfully ordered. "You're supposed to be in love, so you must practice to stay consistent. And we should also discuss what you two should say in your interviews tomorrow night."

"Yes, there is no doubt in my mind that you'll be asked about your relationship," Finn agreed. "All you have to do is talk about how you're incredibly in love with the other and how much you can't live without them. You'll win over the crowd instantly. The people here eat up that kind of story."

"That is true. The Capitol loves a tragic romance," the purple haired escort chimed in. "And what's more tragic than two lovers forced to kill each other in the Hunger Games? Even more tragic if- no, _when_ one of you emerges as the victor."

Libby rolled her eyes as she stared at her newly done nails. "I still think this is a bad idea."

"You've experienced the Games first hand. You know you gotta do whatever it takes to survive," Finn reminded her. He gestured his hand towards Jackson and April. "This plan will help them. The people already love him. We just need them to fall in love with _her_."

The redhead folded her arms. "Maybe I should just prance around the stage naked," she sarcastically said. She noticed Jackson eying her with a smirk on his face and she lightly slapped his chest. "Stop it."

Addison raised her hand. "Don't worry. I have a dress ready for tomorrow night. She'll look stunning and unforgettable," she announced. "All April needs to do is show up and charm the crowd."

"Easier said than done," Libby scoffed, earning a glare from her sister. "I'm sorry, but I'm being honest. You're gonna have to act like the girls at home who drool over Jackson, which I know you really don't want to do, but just suck it up. At least you haven't physically abused him for kissing you twice now."

"Well, she never said she hated it," Jackson boasted, grinning at the eldest Kepner girl. He shift uncomfortably and stopped smiling when she sternly shook her head at him.

April bit down on her bottom lip as she recalled their second kiss. She hadn't expected him to do _that_. She thought he was going to mouth off to Alex for being rude to her. The first kiss was embarrassing, but the second one… she understood why the girls in their district were constantly all over him. Jackson was one hell of a kisser. Her mind had drifted to the kiss that she failed to realize that Libby was talking to her again.

"Are you listening to me?" she snapped. Libby threw a pillow at her zoned out sister, hitting her square in the face. "Apes, whatever you're thinking about it can wait. We still have a lot to talk about."

"I know what I'm supposed to do – act cute and gush over Jackson," the younger Kepner muttered and stood up. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned. "I'm going to take a nap before dinner."

As she left the living room, Libby decided to follow suit. She walked into April's bedroom just as she lay down on her bed. "We need to talk," she firmly stated, closing the door behind her. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, she waited for her sister to sit up. "What skill are you showing to the Gamemaker tomorrow morning?"

April shrugged her shoulders. "I haven't really thought about it."

"I need you to at least score higher than a five, okay? Less than that and nobody will want to sponsor you," Libby advised. "You're a smart girl. You'll think of something to impress them with tomorrow. I know you can. And I'm not talking to you as your mentor. This is all coming from me as your sister. You have to survive and win, April. I don't think I can look at Daddy in the eye if you return home dead."

"Libby-"

"Shh, let me finish. That day on the train when I spoke with Jackson, I basically told him to protect you as best as he can. He promised me he would, so you have to cooperate with him. There's one thing I don't want you to do, though."

"What?" April asked curiously.

"Don't fall for him. Don't develop feelings for him. Don't fall in love with him. It's pointless," Libby demanded. "Because you know it won't last and I don't want to see you getting hurt. If the Games comes down to you and Jackson, he won't hesitate to kill you."

She softly laughed. "I'm not falling for him. That's stupid."

Sliding off of the bed, Libby sighed as she walked towards the door. "Keep it that way. I'm serious." She turned around after she stopped in the doorway. "And think of a skill for tomorrow, one that isn't embarrassing."

April rolled her eyes after her sister left and closed the door. She plopped back onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. Her mind bounced back and forth between two things – her lack of special skills to display for the Gamemaker and… Jackson's lips. She picked up a pillow and groaned as she covered her face with it.

She felt screwed.

* * *

All of the tributes were assembled in a waiting room and sitting in the order of their district number. One by one, each of them would be called in to display their chosen skill in front of the Gamemaker. They had ten minutes to show what they could do before they were dismissed.

April had stayed up all night trying to figure out what she was going to do. From axe throwing to playing dead, she was stumped. She only had one chance to prove how worthy she could be for potential sponsors, but nothing made her feel confident in her abilities. Of course, Jackson would be using his trident fighting skills and she was too embarrassed to ask him for help.

The waiting room was fairly quiet with light chatter between district partners. Some chose to stay silent to mentally prepare themselves. Cristina stared straight ahead like a gargoyle. Even Owen couldn't get a peep out of her. Mark casually sat on the bench grinning at his peers as if he already had the whole thing in the bag and Callie cracked her knuckles every other minute.

Sitting behind the Careers were District 3 and 4. Lexie and Derek were engaged in a conversation, the latter cracking jokes and making the thirteen-year old giggle. Jackson and April sat beside each other quietly. The redhead fidgeted with her fingers, while the pretty boy occasionally snuck a peek at her.

"You okay?" he whispered.

She looked up at him and half-smiled. "I'm good."

Jackson lightly brushed her cheek with his thumb, catching her off-guard. "Eyelash," he softly chuckled and blew it away. "You should make a wish."

"Like, I wish I was back at home safe and sound?" she amusingly replied.

"That would be ideal," he wholeheartedly answered. Tilting her chin with his finger, he leaned forward and gently kissed her lips.

"Get a room, lovebirds!" Izzie playfully called out from her seat.

Both of them turned around to look at her. April sheepishly smiled until she noticed the pout on Matthew's face. It wasn't like she had been imagining a future with him, but she still felt bad about possibly leading him on while her fake love story with Jackson became more prominent. She wanted to convince herself that it wasn't real because Libby was right. Falling for a guy who would either die or kill her was a waste of time. She couldn't fall into that trap.

The private session started with Callie being called into the training center first. April's heart pounded faster as her name inched closer to the top of the list. She hoped whatever she decided to do would be enough to earn herself at least one sponsor.

"_April Kepner,"_ a voice from a PA system alerted her.

Taking a deep breath, she stood up and began to walk away, but Jackson grasped her hand before she could leave. "What?"

"Good luck," he said, his charming smile sending a rush of warmth to her cheeks.

"Thank you." April turned away to hide her rosy red cheeks and headed towards the training center. This would either be the most successful or most humiliating ten minutes of her entire life.

Later that day, the tributes were back in their apartment awaiting their scores. Finn and Libby sandwiched Jackson and April on the couch, while Arizona and Addison watched from the other couch. On the television screen was Sydney Heron, the host and announcer of the Hunger Games. She was a rambunctious woman with pink and royal blue curls for hair. Her teeth were almost _too_ white, maybe porcelain and phony.

"Welcome back for another, what should be, a fantastic Hunger Games event!" she happily greeted the audience from her desk inside of one of the Capitol's many outlandish studios. "To the tributes: may the odds be ever in your favor. Earlier today, our young, brave souls displayed their skills for our Gamemaker in hopes of receiving a score that could work in their favor inside of the arena. Let's not waste anymore time. I have the scores in my hand."

Traditionally, District 1 scores were announced first. Mark and Callie received scores of ten out of twelve. From District 2, Owen was also given a ten, but Cristina had gotten an eleven.

Jackson let out a whistle and grimaced. "She must have threatened to throw a knife at Gamemaker Bailey."

The next scores were presented and for District 3, Derek received a nine and little Lexie was given a decent score of seven.

Now, the moment of truth arrived for District 4. April's stomach churned as she anticipated her own score. Anything less than a five and she was apparently an embarrassment to the Kepner family. When Libby was in the Games she had scored a seven, which wasn't too bad and it played an important factor during her time in the arena to help her win. The younger Kepner simply prayed for a six.

"And now for the tributes of District 4. First, Jackson Avery – have you seen this hunky dreamboat? Oh my, he's gonna break a million hearts if he doesn't win this year," Sydney chirped. "Mr. Avery has scored an eleven! He'll be one to watch in the arena."

Finn patted Jackson's back as everyone congratulated him. "Nice job, son. The betting scoreboard will favor you significantly. Capitol citizens will want to shower you with gifts when you're in the arena," he acknowledged. "This is good news for us."

"Thanks. I can breathe again." He only briefly soaked in his glory because he was eager to find out how April scored. She had been nervously chewing on her bottom lip since the beginning of the broadcast, so he slipped his hand into hers to offer support.

The redhead's eyes darted towards their intertwined fingers and she felt a little calmer. Libby's death grip on her other hand hadn't been very encouraging for her.

"And for April Kepner, a respectable score of…" Sydney paused as she squinted her eyes and stared hard at her notes. She gazed back at the camera and grinned. "…eight."

The living room was silent. All eyes were on her as April sat frozen on the couch. She couldn't believe it. An eight was better than she had expected. An eight wasn't supposed to be within her skill range. There had to be a typo. She waited for Sydney to break the news that she had made a mistake in reading the scores. However, she already moved on to District 5.

"Oh my God," Libby gasped. She suddenly hugged her sister and squealed. "You got an eight! That's amazing for you, April!"

"Wonderful news," Arizona excitedly added. She slowly stood up and took itty bitty steps towards the shocked tribute. The perky woman reached down and patted April's knee. "Well done, dear. Congratulations!"

Finn stared at his tribute dumbfounded. "What did you do to earn that score?"

April opened her mouth to speak, but she remained speechless. "I… I don't know." A smile slowly formed on her face. "They- they didn't mess up and announce the wrong score, right?"

Libby shook her head and grinned. "Nope. It was the correct score. Consider yourself a dark horse from now on. We need to set up a new game plan for you, but you have to tell us what you did during your private session."

"But… I didn't think I did anything to help me stand out," she reluctantly stated. "I just tied knots."

"Well clearly, you impressed them enough with that. Be proud of yourself," Finn insisted, then he stood up. "Alright, we have about an hour until dinner, so relax until then. We can talk more about what you both should do in the arena while we eat."

The group started to disperse, but Jackson stayed seated on the couch with April. He waited until everybody was gone to confront her. "I think you're lying. You didn't just tie knots in there. Even the best would only score about a five or six if that's all they did. Between you and me, what exactly did you show the Gamemaker?"

She mischievously grinned at him. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He quietly stared at her intently, his face only some inches away from hers. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Jackson softly smiled. "You continue to impress me."

With those bluish-green eyes nearly hypnotizing her, she immediately jumped up onto her feet when she heard Libby calling her name. "I-I should go see what she wants."

He watched her scurry away and laughed to himself afterwards. None of the other girls in District 4 affected him the way April Kepner did, yet nobody knew how strong of an impact she had on him either.

* * *

**Let me know what you think please :) Next up: the interviews**


	5. The Interviews

**Thank you for the reviews! This chapter's a little longer, but it's the final build up before the Games begin :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

There was only one day left until the 74th Hunger Games officially started. With each tribute's score now known to the public, they had one more chance to make an impression later that night during their interview with Sydney Heron. It also gave the stylists another opportunity to glam up their tributes for all of Panem to see on TV. For the Capitol citizens, it would be a night full of celebration. The tributes, on the other hand, could only hope they could get a good night's sleep before being sent to their impending deaths.

With training sessions over, they were allowed to sleep in. Jackson stirred in his sleep when he felt someone's hand nudging his shoulder. Slowly opening one eye, he came face to face with Libby. She certainly wasn't a sight he enjoyed seeing in the morning.

"Get up. It's ten and… April is missing," his mentor ordered.

"April's missing?" the pretty boy murmured, remaining in the same position he woke up in. "How's that possible? Isn't this building heavily guarded by Peacekeepers?"

"Yes, but Finn and I need to leave for a meeting with other mentors in ten minutes, so I'm asking you to find her for us. She's most likely still on our floor. Just don't wander off, alright? So, get out of bed and use the bathroom," Libby instructed. She pulled away Jackson's sheets only to find him completely nude underneath. "Oh my gosh! Are you kidding me right now?"

He sat up on the bed, smugly grinning at Libby, who covered her eyes with her forearm. "What? I always sleep like this. It's comfortable."

The eldest Kepner girl shook her head in disgust as she turned away. "Put some clothes on and go find my sister."

Jackson couldn't help but chuckle as he climbed out of bed. That would teach her to interrupt his sleep, he thought. After putting on some clothes, he briefly used the bathroom before he left the apartment to search for April. Their floor was easy to navigate, similar to a hotel. A Peacekeeper stood by each elevator and possible exit, but there was one entrance that was left unguarded. The hallway led to a large balcony outside. In the middle of the balcony was a koi pond and keeping the fish company was April.

She quietly sat along the edge, staring at the fish while she dipped her finger into the water. She appeared lost in her own world that she hadn't noticed Jackson's presence until he sat down across from her.

"Hey, you know breakfast is ready," he greeted her with a smile. "Oh, and Libby sent me to come get you."

"I'm not really hungry," she softly replied. Her auburn hair partially covered her face as she continued to stare at the koi pond. "We're going into the arena tomorrow."

"Yeah," he sighed. Jackson brushed aside April's hair causing her to shift uncomfortably. "Try not to think about that right now."

April moved her head away when he attempted to kiss her. "What are you doing?" she asked irritably.

Jackson shrugged and smiled. "I thought we could practice a bit for when we have to display our eternal love in the arena," he suggested. "We have to look genuine, remember? Otherwise, they're gonna know we're faking it."

She laughed to herself, waving her finger at him. "I know what you're doing. I'm not stupid. You're just a horny boy."

"I think you're afraid of being a bad kisser," he accusingly stated.

"Give me a break," the redhead scoffed. "Why can't you admit that your hormones are going bonkers because you haven't been surrounded by all of those pretty girls back at home? By the way, bouncing from girl to girl is disgusting."

"Who said I slept around?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. "If I like a girl, then I'll take her out. Doesn't necessarily have to include sex. Is that what people think of me?"

"Well, you seemed to have a new girl wrapped in your arms every week," April muttered. She quietly recalled their school days. From what she remembered, there wasn't a day that passed by when Jackson didn't have one of their female classmates flirting with him in the hallways. At lunch, girls sat on each side of him at the table. He was a magnet for girls. "It's like you'll die if you're not around one for half a day."

Jackson sheepishly grinned as he scratched the back of his neck. "If it makes you feel any better about when I saw you naked, Libby saw me fully nude this morning. I can't say I was exactly thrilled about that. In fact, she acted like I blinded her."

She managed to laugh, then she replied, "I'm not sure who I should feel more sorry for – my sister or you."

"So how come you don't have a boyfriend?" he questioned curiously.

"Boys never noticed me," she dejectedly answered, a small frown forming on her face. "Then again, it's not like I made an effort to get myself noticed. I suppose everyone in District 4 knows who I am now, but for depressing reasons."

"If you hadn't been reaped, what would you be doing with your life? I mean, we're done with school, so did you already know what you wanted to do next?"

April shrugged her shoulders. "I'd probably end up working at your father's factory or something. Although, I've always wanted to captain my own vessel and take over for my father eventually. I could've been the first woman to captain a ship." She dismissively waved her hand afterwards. "Whatever. It doesn't matter anymore. I won't make it out of the arena anyway."

"You don't know that," he argued. "Libby asked me to protect you and I promised her I will. I don't break promises."

"I know. She told me. Umm… thank you," she murmured, offering a half-smile. "But if it happens to come down to the two of us, I want you make it quick. Push me off a cliff or something. I'd rather face a quick death than a slow and painful one."

Jackson shook his head. "Don't talk about dying. It's like you're giving up already and you shouldn't do that."

April scooted backwards after he attempted to kiss her again. "Oh my God! You're doing it again!" she retorted. "Your smooth talk isn't going to earn you kisses from me, so please stop it. And now, I'm beginning to think everything that's coming out of your mouth is bullshit."

"But I honestly think we should practice. It's only fair considering you were unprepared for your first kiss."

"That wasn't my first kiss," she groaned, rolling her eyes at him.

He simply smirked in response. "It definitely was. C'mon, just admit it. There's no reason to feel ashamed."

She folded her arms in front of her chest. "If you want me to admit it, then fine. I'm only ashamed because it was a terrible first kiss. One cannot take back a first kiss and you ruined it for me." Jackson started laughing making her even more annoyed. "It's not funny. It's embarrassing."

"I can teach you how to be a better kisser," he offered. "You could use some pointers."

April angrily pushed Jackson into the koi pond. She stood up, glaring down at him as he climbed out of the water. "Sometimes you make it extremely difficult to like you."

The pretty boy forced himself to laugh as she walked back into the building. "I was kidding, April!" He sighed as his clothes dripped water all over the place. "Nice goin', idiot."

One step forward, two steps back. That basically summed up his friendship – or lack thereof – with April.

* * *

Breakfast started awkwardly quiet for Jackson and April. They were joined by Addison and Arizona, while their mentors attended a meeting. The redhead opted to sit as far away from her district partner as possible. She ate her food at one end of the table, while he was seated at the opposite end. It didn't take long for the older women to notice the tension between them.

"I sense some friction between our two lovebirds," the gold-haired Arizona chimed in. "Hopefully, you'll get your act together for tonight's interviews. You're supposed to be in love."

"Well, we're not," April muttered as she poked at her leftover eggs.

The perky escort snapped her fingers. "Attitude, dear. The citizens have bought into your romance story, so you cannot just abruptly end it without an explanation," she scolded her. "You'll lose sponsors if you can't convince them."

"Most of them will go to Jackson anyway," she nonchalantly replied.

Addison sighed after sipping her beverage. "April, it's best if you don't carry on this careless attitude. You came into the Capitol with everyone doubting your abilities to survive. With this love story you have with Jackson combined with your training session score, people consider you to be a dark horse to win the Games."

April stubbornly folded her arms. "I can survive without a man protecting me."

"You don't get it, do you?" Jackson irritably questioned. He leaned forward, staring directly at her with his gorgeous bluish-green eyes. A small smile formed off the corner of his mouth. "At home, nobody cared enough to do a double take when you walked by. Here, people think you're desirable because of me. You should take advantage of the attention and flaunt your stuff."

"Flaunt my _stuff_?" she repeated, appearing disgusted. "And you only made me look like I can't live without you."

"Isn't that kind of the point? We're the tragic love story from District 4. I can't live without you and you can't live without me," he insisted. "Now if only you wouldn't hesitate to kiss me…"

April picked up a bread roll and launched it across the table, hitting Jackson square in the face. "Maybe if you weren't such a fake charmer who's only trying to get into my pants-"

"I was _not_ trying to get into your pants!" he retorted, rubbing his nose. "That hurt, by the way. You could've nailed me right in the eye and possibly blinded me before the Games."

"Oh, suck it up, you big baby. Your pretty face isn't going to fall apart over a piece of freaking bread!" she sneered, picking up another bread roll and throwing it at him.

Jackson managed to catch the second bread roll, then he angrily looked at Arizona. "Make her stop!"

Arizona raised both of her hands to display her extravagant manicure. Each nail was painted gold and decorated with a flower on top. "The nails cannot be damaged, dear."

"You're being immature, April," he accusingly said.

"And you're a jerk!" the redhead argued.

"_Prude_," he countered, causing her to gasp.

April clenched her fists, her face slowly turning beet red. "If you were in a close enough range, I'd be throwing my water in your face! But you know what? I have more bread rolls!"

"Go ahead and throw them. I can catch them all day," Jackson taunted, gesturing his arms towards himself.

Just as their argument began to heat up even more, Libby and Finn arrived at the apartment after returning from their meeting. They were greeted by a shouting match between their two tributes at the dining table. The older man approached them with his hands on his hips.

"What the hell is going on here?" he sternly interrupted. Both April and Jackson immediately stopped talking and sat quietly in their seats. He eyed the redhead suspiciously. "Why are you sitting in my seat?"

Libby joined Finn and furrowed her brow at her sister. "Care to explain what's going on?"

The younger Kepner shook her head in disgust. "You're both staring at me like all of this is my fault."

"She threw a bread roll at my head," Jackson noted.

"He called me a prude!"

The teenagers started arguing again until Finn interrupted them once more. "Enough, you two. You have interviews tonight and the chemistry between you two is abysmal. The other mentors have told us that you guys are the most talked about pair in the Capitol," he informed them. "Start acting in love or you'll become the laughing stock of District 4 tonight."

April rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I can't pretend to be in love with a guy who insults me."

Libby pinched the bridge of her nose and softly groaned. "Oh my gosh, Apes. If only you could just cooperate with us and stop being a pain in the ass-"

"Bite me, Libby," she snapped, pushing herself up onto her feet. "I could die tomorrow and you'd rather scold me for being uncooperative than even give a crap that you may never see me again. You do realize that only one of us can win, right? It's pretty obvious who will come out on top, so you're wasting your time with me."

The redhead hurriedly left the dining room and retreated to her bedroom. Like any angry teenager, she collapsed face first onto her bed and buried her face into her pillow. She shut her eyes to prevent the tears from escaping. A part of her was tempted to throw herself into the bloodbath at the start of the Games and end her misery early. No matter how hard Jackson tried to protect her, one of them would have to die. She didn't want to be around him anyway. He could be a sweetheart one minute and a total punk the next.

She heard the door open, but she refused to accept another lecture from her sister. "Go away, Libby."

It wasn't her older sister but Addison, who took a seat on the edge of the bed. "It's just me," she corrected her. The sound of her voice drew April's attention and she rolled over to face her stylist. "She was going to come and check on you, but I convinced her that you needed space away from all of them. So, let's talk. You've got a lot on your mind I bet."

"What do you think my chances are of winning? Be honest," April murmured, wiping a tear away from her face.

"Honestly? I believe you have as good of a chance as Jackson to win," she truthfully answered. "You just need to stop underestimating yourself and start believing in yourself more. There's a reason why you scored an eight. An eight is better than average. There's a fighter in that petite body of yours. Don't let anyone make you think otherwise."

"So, you really think I can last all the way to the end?"

Addison nodded and softly smiled. "And I'm not saying this because it's my job to make you look fabulous for the crowd," she assured her, then she decided to change the subject. "You and Jackson have a unique relationship."

"More like _no_ relationship," April scoffed. "He's an imbecile and he's difficult to work with."

"If you want my opinion, I think he means well."

"Nobody can call a woman a prude and mean that in the nicest way possible," the redhead disagreed. "Jackson can be a nice person when he wants to be, but he can also be a pompous ass. And you didn't grow up with him. He made me feel miserable just like he does now."

Addison shrugged with a smirk on her face. "Perhaps he's trying to make up for all of those years he picked on you then," she suggested. "He wants to protect you, April. Keep that in mind. Anyway, I have the perfect dress for you for tonight's interviews. Trust me when I say, you'll blow everyone out of the water with your beauty."

"I won't look like Arizona, right?" April asked with a grimace.

"Oh, I have much more respect for you than that," she chuckled. "Like I said, trust me."

* * *

Standing in a tunnel located beneath the theater where the interviews would be taking place, Jackson waited for April to emerge from her dressing room. Each tribute would be given exactly three minutes to converse with Sydney Heron in hopes that their last words prior to the Games gives them an extra boost before heading into the arena. The pretty boy felt prepared to answer anything that was asked of him. He was used to being surrounded by people, so the attention wasn't an issue.

Being able to convince the audience that he and April were madly in love was the problem, though. She would be doing her interview first and he hoped she wouldn't spoil everything by announcing to the world that it was all a sham. They hadn't spoken to each other since breakfast, so he had no idea whether or not they were still on the same page.

He smoothed out the black jacket he wore over his half-buttoned, white dress shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and the material inside of his jacket was a dark shade of green. Slipping his hands inside of his pockets, he occasionally eyed the other tributes as they walked by in their formal wear.

"Lookin' smooth, Avery," Izzie complimented as she passed by with Matthew beside her.

The taller man briefly scowled at Jackson, which amused the latter. Matthew had scored lower than him by a point making him quite jealous of the pretty eyed boy. The odds of them forming an alliance were slim to none.

A moment later, April stepped out of her dressing room wearing a green, strapless dress. Her auburn hair was neatly fixed in a fancy bun and Addison decorated her face with smokey eye shadow and a little blush. She nervously chewed on her bottom lip as her district partner's eyes scanned her entire body slowly. "What?"

"You look… wow," he softly replied. Jackson smiled as he rubbed the back of his neck. He didn't want to make it too obvious that his eyes were mostly focused on her cleavage, but he couldn't help himself. They were front and center and asking for attention. "I umm… well, you-"

"Stop drooling, Lover Boy," Cristina called out, snickering as she and Owen walked past the twosome. "Looking pretty isn't going to help you in the arena, Kepner."

Jackson rolled his eyes. "Don't listen to her. She looks like a lump of coal in her dress." He placed his hand against April's lower back and escorted her down the tunnel. "So, are we sticking to the plan?"

"What plan are you referring to?" she asked curiously.

"You're not gonna blindside me and tell everyone we broke up, right? Because… that would suck."

"Don't worry. I won't ruin the fun for you," the redhead sarcastically replied.

The majority of the tributes were lined up beside a wall and in the order of their district number. April felt butterflies in her stomach as the roar of the crowd echoed from above. The broadcast had started and Sydney was being introduced to the audience. Her cheerful voice could be heard as she warmed up the crowd with cheesy jokes that only Capitol citizens found hilarious.

"What the hell is taking so goddamn long?" a disgruntled Alex complained from the back of the line.

"Calm down. Nobody's going to care about what you have to say anyway," Cristina responded, smugly grinning over her shoulder. Her snarky comment drew chuckles from the other Careers. "They might as well cancel the interviews with the bottom feeders."

April fanned herself with her hand. It was either the air conditioning was off or she couldn't control her nerves. Nobody else appeared to be sweating bullets, but she could see some uneasiness on the faces of tributes from the lower districts. Libby had only offered vague advice prior to leaving her alone with Addison in the dressing room.

_"Don't choke."_

Easier said than done.

"It must suck, huh?" a voice from behind her blurted out. To April's surprise, Meredith had actually spoken a word. In the training center, she hadn't interacted with anybody verbally. Many of the other tributes started to suspect she was a mute.

"What do you mean?"

The District 5 tribute sadly smiled at her. "Having to follow the footsteps of your famous sister. She's the only person to win the Games without killing a single person herself."

"But your mother is legendary. I mean, it must be even harder for you to be here," April sympathetically replied.

"You have no idea. You're lucky your mother isn't Ellis Grey," Meredith scoffed.

"Oh, umm… my mother is dead," she answered with a frown.

Meredith slightly grimaced. "Sorry. She was probably more of a mother than mine was, though."

April slowly nodded her head as she faced forward. Thinking about her mother was always difficult because of how young she was when she passed away from cancer. Karen Kepner was a nurturing, stay-at-home mother. She took care of all four daughters alone, while Joe was out at sea trying to keep a roof under their heads. She always found a way to spend quality time with each of them.

Not having her mother around during her teenage years was the hardest. Sure, she had always been a daddy's girl, but when it came to boys and dating she was on her own. Libby simply teased her whenever she sought advice from her older sister. No real motherly figure to turn to for help. Perhaps that was why she never had a boyfriend and probably why she felt clueless about what she was supposed to do with Jackson. There wasn't that one person to boost her self-esteem.

The interview sessions finally began and the tributes from District 1 were up first. Callie delighted the audience with her smile and even showed off a hidden talent, wooing the Capitol citizens with her soulful singing voice. Like every Career tribute, she was confident in her abilities to win the Games. Not even her district partner could slow her down.

Next up was Mark, who wasted a full minute proudly waving at the crowd as he pranced along the stage. His pearly whites made the women scream for him, like they were going to faint if he made direct eye contact with them. From a shallow point of view, they were a huge fan of his as they were of Jackson's.

"Have a seat, have a seat," Sydney happily instructed. Her shimmering pink dress and matching hair color resembled a giant blob of cotton candy. As always, she grinned widely at the crowd and gestured her hand towards Mark. "Doesn't he look dashing in that platinum suit?"

He listened to the ladies cheer and he playfully teased them by pretending to unbutton his shirt. "Sorry, this show doesn't come for free."

"Oh, you're a hoot! So, let's get straight to business, Mr. Sloan," the perky woman started. "You clearly have the physical attributes to win this year's Games, but you do have some stiff competition going into the arena with you. Tell us what your strategy will be to eliminate your opponents."

"Strategy? Actually, I have a message for those opponents – I'd say the best strategy is to stay away from me because you've got no chance against me. I've trained for this since I could walk. If you think you can compete with me, then give me your best shot, but I guarantee you that you'll lose," Mark gloated, drawing cheers and applause from the crowd.

Sydney giggled, completely smitten by the young man's confidence. "You are definitely someone the nation will be paying attention to when you're in the arena." They stood up together and she picked up his hand, raising it over their heads. "Mark Sloan, ladies and gentlemen!"

He used the opportunity to flaunt his assets once more, waving his arms and encouraging the audience to be louder before he left the stage. Now it was District 2's turn and Cristina arrived on the stage, faking a smile on her way to her seat. As soon as she sat down, her smile quickly changed into a scowl that made Sydney slightly flinch.

"Alright, Cristina. You hail from a district that takes pride in winning the Games. District 2 is known to have the most victors in the history of the Hunger Games, so are you feeling any pressure back at home?"

"Definitely not," the Asian woman nonchalantly answered.

There was an awkward pause until the host broke the silence. "And do you have a strategy in the arena?"

"Kill off the weaklings first. They know who they are," she sternly replied, narrowing her eyes at the camera. "I'm not afraid of the arena. The arena should be afraid of _me_."

"Mmm… okay," Sydney said, forcing herself to continue grinning. She was visibly uncomfortable around Cristina as if the District 2 tribute was going to slash her throat at any second. "Also, you were one of two tributes to score the highest in your training session. Do you see Jackson Avery as your biggest threat in the arena?"

Cristina laughed and dismissively waved her hand. "That pretty boy doesn't intimidate me one bit. He will be too hung up on his precious girlfriend before he realizes a knife is in his back. And you know what? When I find Avery in the arena I'm going to humiliate him and cut off his little d-"

"It seems we've run out of time," the pink haired women intervened and nervously chuckled. "Cristina Yang from District 2, everybody!"

The audience provided a nice round of applause, though their faces showed how intimidated they were by Cristina's presence. Owen was next, followed by Lexie and Derek. By the time the male tribute from District 3 left the stage, April's stomach was in knots. It was her turn to speak. She could hear Sydney softening up the crowd by referring to District 4 as the tragic love story, making her roll her eyes.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a warm welcome to the first half of our couple, April Kepner!"

Taking a deep breath first, the redhead carefully made her way up the stairs that led to the stage. The bright lights from the ceiling nearly blinded her, but she softly smiled at the audience as they hollered and waved at her. She took her seat, crossing her legs as she gently bit on her bottom lip. From her view, she found Libby, Finn and Addison sitting in the second row. Her sister pointed at her own mouth, instructing her to keep smiling.

"April, sweetie, as everyone here knows your older sister Libby won the Hunger Games two years ago in a rather unique way. She escaped the arena without a single drop of another tribute's blood on her hands," Sydney recalled. "Do you have a similar strategy?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't share with you my strategy. That's a secret," she politely answered, then she shrugged. "If I revealed all of my secrets now, I'd have to kill you."

The crowd was amused by April's answer, laughing as if it was a funny joke. Even Sydney giggled at her comments. "Ah, now we wouldn't want that to happen, would we? I'm not ready to give up my daytime talk show just yet," she quipped, drawing more laughs in the theater. "And of course, the story we're all dying to hear about – tell us about the day Jackson Avery became an important man in your life."

She cleared her throat and smiled. "Well, I've known him my entire life. We grew up together and while we didn't always get along, he finally won my heart when we were sixteen." The audience let out their share of 'Aww's' before she continued. "After countless days of nagging, I agreed to let him take me out on a date. He brought me to one of our many beaches in District 4. Candles were lit in the sand and there was a blanket laid out with a picnic basket. It was very romantic."

"Holy shit, even I'm convinced," Libby muttered to Finn. She scanned the people around her and they were intrigued by her younger sister's story. Some of them were dabbing tears from their eyes because they were so moved by it. "You go, Apes."

After April finished her fake recollection of hers and Jackson's first date, Sydney sadly smiled at her. "It sounds like you fell in love with the perfect man, dear. It's a shame you two are both on your way to the arena tomorrow morning. Imagine the children you two attractive darlings would have made together."

For a second, the redhead thought she had thrown up in her mouth. In the back of her mind, she knew her family and everybody in District 4 were fully aware of the fact that it was all a lie. The girls in her class probably wanted to kill her themselves for bragging about a boy they all lusted after and possibly did spend the night with at one time. She wondered if any of them would have the guts to contact the Capitol and inform them that the tragic love story was a hoax.

"Yes, Jackson would've been a remarkable father," she added. "And no matter what happens in that arena, I will love him forever."

Sydney reached for a tissue and lightly dabbed her eyes. "So young and so tragic. April, I wish all the best for you. April Kepner, everybody."

The crowd applauded and blew kisses at April as she left the stage. She felt relieved to be out of the spotlight when she reached backstage where she was met by Arizona.

"Well done, well done!" her escort chirped, gently patting the tribute's lower back. "That was wonderfully done. I had my doubts about you, but you were impressive. Who knew you had the charisma to win them over?"

"Lucky break, I guess," she timidly replied. There was a monitor nearby airing the live interviews. Jackson was already on the stage after Sydney introduced him. Women continuously shouted his name even after he sat down.

Sydney waved her hands to quiet the crowd. "Settle down, folks. Let's give this handsome dreamboat time to speak," she cheerfully ordered before turning to face the pretty boy. "Jackson, we just heard from your gorgeous significant other. Many of us want to know why you volunteered when you could've been at home rooting for April to return to you alive. Don't you think that makes more sense?"

He flashed his charming smile at her, shaking his head. "I'm here to protect the love of my life. I'd rather be here than at home where I would've been helpless."

"But you do know that only one of you can win, right?"

"I would do anything for that woman even if it means sacrificing my own life for her."

Sydney nodded, slightly frowning. "Understandable, yet romantic at the same time. April described your first date together, so what do you have to share about your one true companion?"

Jackson folded his hands against his knee as he smugly grinned back at her. "One might not guess this by just looking at her, but… April, she's an amazing lover." The audience gasped in response. "And I mean, _amazing_. The first time we made love, we were seventeen. It felt right, you know? I told her I loved her and she said it back to me. Just before we lost our virginity together, she started crying in my arms. I wiped away her tears and said, 'Baby, everything will be alright.' It was an unforgettable night."

Finn fought back his laugh as the audience believed every word coming out of Jackson's mouth. "Avery, you smooth talking son of a bitch," he whispered to himself. He noticed the disgusted look on Libby's face. "This is good, okay? Let it go."

While the crowd saw it as a beautiful moment, April was silently fuming backstage. She clenched her jaw tightly, hard enough that she could chip a tooth if she tried. Of all things to lie about, he chose _that_?

He was a dead man.

* * *

April had waited until they were away from the scene and back at their apartment to confront Jackson about what he had done. As soon as they entered their temporary home, she shocked everybody by slapping his cheek hard. "You pathetic bastard!"

"Hey, calm down," Finn ordered, restraining the redhead. "Save the feistiness for when you're in the arena."

"He humiliated me!" she retorted and scowled at Jackson, who was rubbing his cheek. "I- I'm still a virgin and I most definitely wouldn't cry like a loser over something like _that_. You idiot, I did my job in making you look like this superstar of a boyfriend and you repay me by talking about sex? Even if it were true, that is something you're not supposed to share to the entire world!"

"It was a strategy to get sponsors to feel more sympathetic towards us," the pretty boy insisted.

Libby rolled her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "A really dumb one. You can still win their sympathy using some other story, but of course, you were thinking with your manhood instead of your brain."

"It doesn't matter anymore. Both of them did what they're supposed to do – make the Capitol citizens fall even more in love with their story and it worked," Finn countered. "They made the people cry. I think it's safe to say they pulled it off better than I originally anticipated."

"And for the record, more people have placed bets on April," Addison chimed in.

Arizona clapped her hands. "It's time for you two to get some rest. You have a big day tomorrow," she intruded, shooing Jackson towards the bathroom. "Why don't you clean up first, while our little hothead over here cools down?"

April shrugged Finn away from her and stormed off to her bedroom. For the rest of the night, she had avoided everyone in the apartment. However, she had trouble sleeping. The anxiety she felt leading up to the Games was overwhelming. She wasn't sure what time it was, but she quietly snuck out of her bedroom to get a glass of water. Noise echoed from outside, so she walked towards the large windows to check out the scene.

The Capitol citizens were partying in the streets. Music played, laughter could be heard from various parts of the crowd. They were going to party until the break of dawn. By morning, all of their attention would be on the nearest TV screen to watch the beginning of the Games.

"You're up too?" a voice whispered from behind, startling April. Jackson, wearing a pair of black boxers, grimaced as he approached her. "Promise not to slap me?"

"I… I'm sorry I did that. I shouldn't have," she murmured, sitting down on the couch.

"I'll admit I crossed the line earlier, so I should be apologizing too," he said, taking a seat beside her. Jackson made sure to leave some space in between them to avoid another slap. "I really am sorry – for this morning too. I kept pushing you and I only made things worse. I'm sorry for calling you a prude."

April sighed as she stared at her glass of water. "Apology accepted."

"Can I tell you something?" he asked and she nodded in response. "That date you made up during your interview, I think I would've done something like that."

"I'm sure whoever you took out would be all over you by the end of the night," she jokingly said.

"I mean, I would've done something like that for _you_." He smiled when she glanced up at him with wide eyes. "You're the type of woman who deserves to be treated well. Every guy who ignored you at school is blind."

She softly laughed. "Like I said, I didn't do much to make people notice me."

Jackson smirked at her. "Well, I noticed you."

His face inched closer to hers, but she leaned back before he could kiss her. "We- umm, we should get some sleep," she reluctantly replied and stood up. "I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Jackson."

"Goodnight," he said, sighing disappointedly as she walked away. Jackson ran his hand along his shaved head and frowned. He didn't want tomorrow to arrive. He wanted time to slow down, so he could spend more time with April without the entire nation watching them.

Maybe then she would realize all of this wasn't just for show anymore.

* * *

**Let me know what you think please! Up next: the Games :)**


	6. The Games

**Thank you for the reviews! Now the fun begins :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The first day of the Hunger Games finally arrived. All of the tributes were given one last breakfast in their apartments – while separated from their district partner – prior to being sent upstairs to the roof of the building to board the hovercraft that would send them to the arena. Jackson hadn't seen April since their conversation the previous night and he wasn't sure if he would see her again until they were inside of the arena. He was escorted into the elevator by Finn, while Libby took care of her sister.

"Things to keep in mind – find a source for fresh water and a place to set up shelter," Finn advised on their way up to the roof. He looked at Jackson, who anxiously tapped his fingers against the sides of his legs as he stared straight ahead. "There should be a trident in the cornucopia. If you can dodge the Careers, you'll be fine."

"So, umm… do I try to keep April close to me from the start?"

"You know she won't survive the bloodbath. People will be gunning for her considering you two are the biggest story of the Games," the older man admitted. "She'll run away from the action. Libby will make sure of that. Worry about yourself first. Then when you retrieve the supplies you need, you can search for her."

Jackson slowly nodded. He cleared his throat when the elevator doors opened after they reached the rooftop. "Anything else I should know?"

"Be careful in there. Anything inside of the arena could be dangerous. Even a harmless looking rabbit could actually be more lethal than the environment you're in," he added, placing his hand on his tribute's shoulder. "If you're unsure of yourself with anything, don't take a chance unless you really need to. You'll be great in there, Jackson."

The pretty boy sighed. He didn't want to admit it, but his stomach was in knots and his nerves had kicked in. It finally hit him that he was going into the arena. There was a lot of pressure coming from home for him to win it all. He couldn't think of that just yet, not when there was also April's well-being to take into consideration. His first priority was her.

Walking towards the awaiting hovercraft, Jackson took a few deep breaths to help him relax. He entered the hovercraft using a laddered staircase and a Peacekeeper escorted him into the cargo bay. Other tributes were already seated, but it appeared their other halves were on the opposite side where they couldn't be seen. It would take a little longer before he could see April again. Like the other tributes, a tracking device was injected into his right forearm, so the control room could keep track of their vitals and their location inside of the arena.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Mark and Cristina staring at him with smirks on their faces. Jackson tried his best to ignore them knowing they were attempting to play mind games with him before the Games even officially started. There were multiple people he needed to watch out for. He was as big of a threat as the Careers and refusing to join their alliance made him an easy target for them.

Once all of the tributes were given their tracking devices, the hovercraft brought them to the arena located just outside of the Capitol. One by one, they were dropped off at a random location and taken to their launch room where they would meet their stylist and dress into their arena clothes. Their attire consisted of a long-sleeved compression shirt, a lightweight hooded jacket, cargo pants, compression pants that were to be worn underneath and hiking boots.

Jackson was under the impression the arena was going to be fairly cold. How cold, though, he couldn't figure it out. The outfit wasn't necessarily built for snow, but it wasn't built for a typical summer day either. The compression top and bottom were meant to keep the blood flowing and to stay warm, yet it was also made out of sweat-wicking material. He hoped the environment wouldn't be too brutal.

His stylist Nicole, donning short purple hair, smoothed out the wrinkles in his jacket. "You look comfortable in that."

"I feel overdressed," he mumbled to himself. Back at home, he hardly ever wore that many layers of clothing on a daily basis. "But yeah, I guess it's comfortable enough."

"Don't get too caught up in the romance, Lover Boy," she warned. "You have to stay alive too."

Jackson nodded and sighed. "But the Games isn't worth winning if I can't even protect April."

An announcement was made over a PA system telling all of the tributes to step into their launch pads. He gave Nicole a quick hug before climbing into the glass tube. There were exactly two minutes until the launch pad brought him up to the surface of the yet to be seen arena. He knew he needed to analyze the area as fast as possible while also searching for April before the timer counted down to zero.

* * *

Miranda Bailey confidently entered the control room, which was located in the Capitol. As the head Gamemaker of Games, she designed the arena hoping to create an environment that was challenging, but not too lethal either. The citizens lived for entertainment and nobody wanted to watch a Hunger Games event end in two days or drag on for weeks without any so-called _exciting_ activity. It had been a dream of hers to become a Gamemaker since she was a young girl. Now, she was in charge and ready to start the show.

"Everybody ready?" she firmly asked. "I hope all of you are prepared because I don't appreciate slackers in my control room. The citizens of Panem are expecting a spectacular Games this year and we better not disappoint."

The control room was designed in a semi-circle with many other assistant Gamemakers sitting along tables, each with their own responsibility. Bailey could call on one of them to complete a task from creating a muttation to place inside of the arena or setting up the cannon to fire for when a tribute dies. There were dozens of screens against a wall displaying various camera angles and views inside of the arena. Cameras had been planted everywhere making it nearly impossible to hide from the control room.

With a minute and a half left to go, President Webber appeared on one of the screens to greet his Gamemaker for the year. "Good afternoon, Miranda. Everything set?"

"Oh, yes," Bailey excitedly answered and glanced at a screen showing all twenty four tributes waiting inside of their launch pads. "All tributes are awaiting to launch in exactly seventy five seconds, sir."

"Perfect. I will come and check in after the third hour," he informed.

After President Webber's screen disappeared, Bailey stared at the clock counting down. At exactly sixty seconds, she signaled to another Gamemaker to turn on the pads. "Bring them up," she ordered.

Now, all of the tributes were on their way up into the arena. They would have thirty seconds to mentally prepare themselves before the 74th Hunger Games officially began.

* * *

Jackson could practically feel his heart pumping out of his chest as his launch pad slowly ascended towards the open hole above. The tube had gone dark momentarily until light shined through. It was bright, forcing him to shield his eyes with his forearm as he looked up at what appeared to be a blue sky. His vision became clearer when he reached the top. The scenery around him looked almost too perfect.

Ahead of him far behind the cornucopia were snow covered mountains in an area that resembled winter. To his right was a forest filled with large trees. On his left was a jungle like forest with a more tropical appearance. Behind him was a river that seemed to run downstream to an unknown destination. The platforms each tribute stood on and the cornucopia were planted in a green field. The environment didn't appear to be deadly, which only made him assume that everything truly _was_ deadly.

Supplies were scattered in various places in front of the horn shaped cornucopia. Jackson had under thirty seconds left to devise a game plan for himself. He eyed a backpack that he was certain would be useful about twenty yards away. He thought it was close enough for him to snatch it before anybody else could. Next, he scanned the entrance of the cornucopia. The large metal structure contained the more valuable items such as weapons, tools and food. Those were the supplies everybody wanted, but were also difficult to obtain. It was where the bloodbath occurred because some tributes managed to grab weapons before others and picked them off first.

The pretty boy spotted his coveted trident standing against a stack of black crates. He felt less vulnerable if he could reach the cornucopia unscathed. He took a quick peek of the tributes beside him – Teddy was on his left and Callie stood on the platform to his right. The latter was already in a stance to jump off of her platform as soon as the clock reached zero.

The tributes were lined up in a half-circle. Nobody was near their district partner. He finally noticed April standing on the opposite side. Her auburn hair pulled up in a ponytail, she wore a dark green jacket that matched his. She fidgeted with the sleeves of her jacket as she nervously chewed on her bottom lip. He wanted to wave at her to catch her attention, but he didn't want to attract the attention of the other tributes.

Her eyes found his with ten seconds remaining on the clock. The distance between them was too far for Jackson to mouth words to her, but he hoped she knew what she was supposed to do – stay away from the cornucopia. He cracked a small smile off the corner of his mouth as the last seconds ticked off.

_5._

The majority of the tributes were now in their running stances and prepared to jump off their platforms.

_4._

Jackson caught a glimpse of Cristina, who stared at the cornucopia with an evil smirk on her face.

_3…_

_2…_

_1._

Almost simultaneously, the tributes hopped off of their platforms and sprinted in various directions. Jackson headed for the backpack he spotted earlier as planned. Nobody had gone for it yet. Most of the tributes were running towards the cornucopia. For some of them, it was a terrible decision. While the pretty boy reached for the backpack, the screams of a female tribute echoed from nearby. He glanced up to see Cristina hacking at the District 11 tribute with a knife. She had gotten a hold of a set of throwing knives and was already making use of it.

He realized the action in front of the cornucopia turned into an instant bloodbath in under a minute. The Careers were picking off the weaker tributes who hadn't been smart enough to run and hide. Thinking they were a big enough distraction, Jackson sprinted towards the entrance wearing the backpack he picked up. On his way there, he briefly saw Owen strangling the male District 8 tribute with his bare hands.

Reaching the entrance, his trident was only a few steps away when someone pushed him from behind. Falling forward onto his knees, he turned around to see Matthew hovering over him with his beloved axe. His foe smugly grinned as he stared him down.

"I'm gonna enjoy slitting your throat, Avery," he taunted, raising his axe over his head. A sharp pain arose in his shoulder causing him to scream in pain. Standing behind him was Teddy, who had stabbed him with a knife she found.

Jackson's eyes widened when Matthew turned around, swinging his arm and digging his axe into the District 6 tribute's abdomen. Blood poured out as the blonde woman fell limp against the brunette man. This gave him a slim window to stand up and grab his trident before the attention was back to him. Taking the trident with one hand, Jackson swung it at the back of Matthew's head hitting him with the base of it. The taller man fell over and he found room to escape. He took a sleeping bag with his other hand and ran out of the cornucopia where a spear flew past his head.

"Where ya goin', Pretty Boy?" Mark called out, holding another spear in his hand. He charged towards the District 4 tribute and tackled him before he could evade him. Holding him against the ground, Jackson struggled to free himself from his grip. "Don't worry about your precious girlfriend. We already took care of her."

In one swift move, Jackson kicked the District 1 tribute in the groin. Mark rolled over grabbing his prized possession and groaned in pain. Pushing himself up, the pretty boy picked up his belongings and made a run for it towards the forest. He didn't care where he was going or how deep into the woods he went as long as he was far away from the Careers and the bloodbath. And he knew Mark had been lying about April because she wouldn't have gone anywhere near the cornucopia. He was positive she listened to Libby and hid.

He lost track of how long he had been running, so he stopped in between dozens of redwood trees. Taking a knee, he removed his backpack as he tried to catch his breath. Sweat dripped from his shaved head and he used the sleeve of his jacket to wipe it away. It felt like the heat had increased since he first entered the arena. Opening his backpack, he pulled out a water bottle. Unfortunately, it was empty. Also inside were a warming blanket, a compass, a pocket knife and rope. He used the rope to tie his sleeping bag to his backpack, so he had one free hand for combat.

The area surrounding Jackson was quiet. Even the chaos coming from the cornucopia became inaudible. Either he was too deep into the forest to hear them or the bloodbath had ended. He removed his jacket because it was too hot to leave on and he tied it around his waist. Unsure of what to do next, he decided to take a seat on the ground and take a much needed break.

_"Well, it seems Jackson Avery managed to escape the carnage that ensued at the cornucopia," Sydney reported from the Capitol's studio. "That was a close one, wasn't it? Unfortunately, not everybody was as lucky as our District 4 heartthrob."_

Jackson's head shot up at the sound of the first cannon, which fired after a tribute passed away. The bloodbath was officially over as he heard one cannon after another, counting the number of fired shots in his head. One, two, three, four, five…

Ten.

Nearly half of the tributes were already dead. Most of them were likely killed at the hands of the Careers, he thought. He knew of at least three of them who were dead since he witnessed their deaths himself, one being right in front of him. However, Teddy involuntarily saved his life. Matthew was seconds away from decapitating him and she showed up at the right time. He never spoke a word to her, but he felt like he owed her for sacrificing her life whether she meant to or not.

He wondered about April's whereabouts. Was she alone? Did she find someone she could form an alliance with until they found each other? _Anybody but Matthew_, he thought. The guy tried to eliminate him early. He dreaded her teaming up with that fake charmer.

A squirrel scurried by him and stopped a few feet away from him. Jackson engaged in a silent stare down with the small animal, stumbling backwards when it revealed its razor sharp teeth. A muttation, one of probably many mutated animals created and thrown into the arena. He hurriedly stood up, picking up his trident and aiming it at the squirrel. It ran away when he threatened to kill it with the sharp edges of his weapon.

"Killer squirrels. Great," he muttered to himself. Gathering the rest of his belongings, he decided to wander through the forest again before the squirrel returned with its entire clan.

* * *

Night fell, concluding the first day of the Games. The remaining tributes were scattered in various areas of the arena, but the Careers made their presence known by staking claim at the cornucopia. They hoarded whatever supplies weren't taken and were stocked with food and water that would last them for at least a week. The four tributes from District 1 and 2 had been responsible for the majority of the deaths thus far with Matthew having the one non-Career kill. It was no surprise to anybody how dominant they were from the beginning. They were all given double digit training scores for a reason.

They gathered around a small fire built in front of the cornucopia. While it was typically common knowledge _not_ to draw attention by starting a fire at night, the Careers could get away with it because hardly anybody dared to challenge them so early in the Games. And they had captured one of the tributes to help them keep watch when it was time to sleep.

Mark eyed little Lexie Grey, who was sitting on a crate with her back facing the group. He was clueless as to why she had been chosen to become their personal slave. "Yang, can you tell me _why_ you chose _her_ to keep watch for us? She's the youngest one here," he dismissively said.

"And the smartest," Cristina noted, popping a piece of bread into her mouth. "Also, maybe if you stopped staring at her like the pervert you are, you'd understand why we're keeping her alive."

"Fine, whatever. But we can at least feed her if we're gonna use her for more than a day," he insisted.

The Asian woman picked up an apple and looked over at Lexie. "Hey, Three! Get over here," she ordered, causing the thirteen-year old to jump up onto her feet. She approached the group nervously clutching the spear in her hand. "Have an apple. Consider it a present."

Lexie grimaced. "I, uhh… I don't like apples," she timidly replied. "Is there- is there something else I can eat?"

Cristina rolled her eyes, setting the apple aside and grabbing an orange. She tossed it to her and waved her hand. "Alright, go away and keep watch," she instructed. After the District 3 tribute returned to her assigned station, she clapped her hands together. "We need to set up a plan for that twat, Kepner. It's a given she's Avery's weakness in the arena. They're so disgusting together they make me want to throw up my organs."

Callie nodded in agreement. "That guy is whipped. Killing April is practically killing him too. He's not gonna want to survive knowing she's dead," she chimed in, then she smirked at Mark. "And if Sloan here hadn't let him get away, we'd have one less concern."

"Screw you, Torres," her district partner retorted. "Avery got lucky kicking me in the nuts. I had a good grip on him."

"Did you see where he ran off to?" Owen questioned.

Mark pointed towards the barely visible forest. "He went that way. I have a feeling April is somewhere there too. Her platform was located closest to that area," he answered. "Unless, somebody got to her first."

"How did that girl score higher than a one?" Cristina scoffed, shaking her head in disgust. "She's wimpy and annoying. If it wasn't for freaking Avery being a hero and this ridiculous love story, she would've been dead by now. Having him around gives her a reason to stay alive."

"Maybe she performed a striptease as her skill," Mark suggested, grinning mischievously at his peers. They stared back at him unimpressed by his joke. He softly groaned and shrugged. "What? C'mon, she's a good looking chick."

"For God's sake, can you keep your mind off of sex for one minute?" Callie scolded him. "Okay, so we should find April first before Jackson does. It's that simple. Once he discovers she's dead, he'll give up. He clearly cares more about her life than his own."

Owen stroked his chin. "Tomorrow, we begin searching for her. We'll start in the forest, split up into pairs," he proposed. "Two of us stay here to watch our supplies, while the other two go into the forest. If we don't find her tomorrow and she's still alive, we can try again the next day. I highly doubt she'll leave the area. She'll wait around for Avery."

"Sounds like a solid plan," Cristina agreed. "Tomorrow, Owen and Callie go first. Doofus and I can go next."

"Hang on a second," Callie said, waving her hand. "Why can't I go with Mark?"

"And why am I Doofus?" Mark asked, furrowing his brow.

"Please, do you honestly think we're dumb enough to leave you behind together? How do we know you won't go behind our backs, steal a bunch of our shit and run off with Three? Or better yet, plot some scheme against us when we return?" Cristina answered with a smirk. "By switching partners, it'll be easier to keep an eye on each other."

Callie sighed in annoyance. "Okay, fine. So, what are we doing when we find April?"

"I say we hold her captive until we lure Avery from wherever he's hiding," Owen suggested. "By the time he finds us with his girlfriend, we'll kill her and hopefully, her death will distract him long enough for us to kill him too."

Mark pounded his fist against his palm. "Man, I'm looking forward to the moment I can claim his head as my personal trophy." He glanced back at Lexie, raising his eyebrow. "How long are we keeping that one alive?"

"Until we don't need her anymore," Cristina nonchalantly stated. "As if she'll last longer than all of us."

Suddenly, a projected screen appeared in the dark sky and the official anthem of Panem began to play. All five tributes tilted their heads to watch the instrumental announcement of the tributes who perished, also known as "The Fallen". A portrait of the dead tribute along with their district number would be displayed for everyone in the arena to see.

The first victim was Derek, which caused Lexie to tear up. Mark, on the other hand, smiled gleefully. "That was my kill," he gloated and received a slap on the shoulder from Callie. "What? Don't act like you haven't killed anyone yet."

Up next was Burke from District 5, followed by Teddy and both tributes from District 8 – George O'Malley and Leah Murphy. They were killed by Owen and Callie during the bloodbath. The two tributes from District 9 and Charles' partner from District 10 were on the list. And lastly, the tributes from District 11 – Shane Ross and Stephanie Edwards, both eliminated by Cristina.

Once the music ended and the holographic screen disappeared, Owen cleared his throat to catch the others' attention. "District 4 is still alive. I knew they would be, but we got the confirmation we needed."

"How in the hell is District 12 still intact?" Cristina blurted out with a puzzled expression on her face. "Losers are probably hiding out somewhere until they're forced to show themselves."

Callie snickered. "Of course. Everybody's scared of us. They might as well swarm the other tributes with trackerjackers and make it simpler for us to move on without having to do any of the dirty work."

* * *

Nestled inside of his sleeping bag, Jackson stared at the sky after watching the announcement of the fallen tributes. He was relieved not to see April's picture displayed and felt less uneasy about her status. However, he still had no idea where she was and if she was with anybody. He worried that one of the Careers found her and they were holding her hostage until it was the perfect time to kill her. He knew he would never feel completely calm while they remained separated.

Because sleeping on the ground was too large of a risk, he climbed a tree and tied his belongings onto a branch that could carry his weight. He had securely strapped himself into his sleeping bag to prevent from falling from the high height and potentially killing himself. Having barely eaten throughout the day, his stomach gurgled. All he ate were a few grapes he had found in a bush earlier, which had a 50/50 chance of containing poison. Thankfully, he didn't keel over and die afterwards.

Reaching into his pocket, Jackson retrieved a small photograph he had brought into the arena with him. It was a school picture of April. He had kept it hidden from everybody since he left home. Her dimpled smile caused him to frown. It was just the first day of the Games and he really missed seeing her face. The arena was gigantic and it could very well be impossible to find her if she constantly roamed around, but he was determined to find her. The Capitol and likely most of Panem wanted to watch their love story continue and that couldn't happen if they weren't together.

But finding April wasn't to please the citizens. It would make for an exciting show, but he wished they could hide from the cameras for just one minute, so he could tell her how he truly felt. Having the spotlight on him made it easy to play the romantic heartthrob, though that wouldn't convince her he genuinely cared for her. She needed to know the truth, but being honest with her would also ruin their tragic love story for the audience. They were supposed to be in love since they were sixteen. Blowing their cover could cost them sponsors and maybe even earn a punishment from Gamemaker Bailey for lying.

A howl echoed from afar causing Jackson to sit up. It sounded like a wolf, but he wasn't sure. If it was indeed a wolf, where did it come from? The forest? The snowy mountains? He preferred it to be far, far away from the forest. First, mutant squirrels and now wolves?

"Screw this," he grumbled, untying his trident and gripping it tightly against his chest. With too many unknowns existing inside of the arena, he refused to fall asleep on the first night. He was determined to stay awake regardless of how exhausted he felt.

Even hiding up high in a tree didn't necessarily mean he was safe.

* * *

The second day had been uneventful. No deaths. It seemed all of the tributes had chosen to stay in their hiding places. If another day passed without anything exciting happening, the Gamemakers would most certainly force something to occur like a natural disaster or sending deadly muttations into the arena to hunt them down.

Jackson ended up sleeping throughout the day after keeping himself awake the previous night. He had forced himself to leave his tree to search for April and for food. When his quest to find the redhead had failed again he returned to his tree for another night of staying awake. He was almost desperate enough to shout her name at the top of his lungs in hopes of getting her attention, but he knew that it would be a horrible decision. As long as she didn't appear in the list of the fallen tributes, he was somewhat relaxed.

Day three arrived and the sound of soft growling aroused him from his sleep. He slowly opened his eyes to see something brown and furry sitting on his lap. As his vision became clearer, his eyes widened when he realized it was one of those damn squirrels. He gazed up after hearing more growls. He was surrounded by at least half a dozen squirrels.

Reaching for his trident, the squirrel on his lap appeared ready to pounce on his neck. Taking a slow, deep breath, Jackson counted to three in his head before swinging his weapon at the tiny animal and knocking it away from him. It signaled for the other squirrels to attack. One after another, he defended himself from the furry creatures, hitting them with the sharp edges of his trident before they could take a bite out of him. He screamed in pain when he felt a pair of razor sharp teeth dig into his left cheek.

Knocking the last one away, he scrambled to untie himself from the branch. He sloppily gathered all of his belongings, throwing the backpack over his shoulders and he started climbing down the tall redwood. Some of the squirrels hadn't died and waited for him at the bottom. His foot slipped causing him to lose his grip and fall the last fifteen feet of the tree.

Landing on his backpack, Jackson groaned as he slowly pushed himself up. He picked up his trident and his unrolled sleeping bag before running away from the vicious squirrels. Blood dripped from his cheek as he sprinted as hard as he could. Lack of adequate water and food intake made his body feel weaker. He felt like he was carrying fifty-pound weights. All of the energy he exerted in a short amount of time quickly took a toll on him, but he needed to find a safe place to hide first.

He had been running for at least five minutes when his world turned upside down – literally. His foot stepped into a hidden trap and the rope tightly locked around his ankle, hoisting him up in the air. He dropped his trident and sleeping bag as he dangled upside down, cursing at himself for getting caught in the first place.

Soon he heard leaves rustling and footsteps moving closer towards his direction. Jackson couldn't make out who was approaching him. The uncontrollable spinning made him dizzy and his vision blurry, but he did notice an axe.

_Crap_, he thought. It was Matthew. It had to be him. A flashback of their encounter at the cornucopia occurred in his mind. He was going to get a second chance to slit the pretty boy's throat just like he wanted.

Jackson shut his eyes, disappointed that he failed April. He never got a chance to protect her. "I'm sorry, April," he murmured to himself and awaited his impending death.

* * *

**I thought it would be nice to focus a bit on some other tributes as well. Next up: what's gonna happen to Jackson? lol**


	7. The Game Changer

**Thank you for the reviews! Hopefully, this chapter will give you feels lol :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It felt as if Jackson's entire life flashed before his eyes. His first crush, his first kiss… basically every romantic milestone in his life at least. He kept his eyes closed as he listened to his opponent breathe and inch closer. The people in District 4 were most likely weeping, especially his mother, he thought. The Capitol citizens were probably already cursing him for destroying their bets and cheating them out of the money they had spent on him. Considered one of the heavy favorites to win the Games, losing on the third day had to go down as an embarrassing and shameful way to exit.

"Jackson?"

That voice instantly alerted him. He knew whose voice it was. It was like heaven to him. Jackson opened his eyes and as he swayed back and forth upside down, he saw April standing in front of him. She appeared relieved to have found him and the feeling was mutual.

"Hey, April," he sheepishly responded with a cheesy grin. "Man, I'm so glad to see-"

She dropped her axe, grasping the back of the pretty boy's head and kissing him hard before he finished speaking. Surprised at first, he returned the kiss with a smile on his face. In his mind, it was the hottest kiss he had experienced upside down. Albeit, it was the _only_ kiss he ever experienced upside down, but he knew it would catch the audience's attention.

Jackson's teeth grazed April's bottom lip as she pulled away from him, his eyes remaining closed as he slowly licked his lips. "Whoa," he whispered to himself, opening his eyes. She stared back at him shyly biting on her bottom lip, her cheeks slightly flushed. He smiled again with a dazed look on his face, partially due to his infatuation with his district partner and partially due to the blood rushing down to his head. "Things are beginning to get foggy."

"Oh!" she squealed, picking up her axe. "I'll get you down."

"Hold on! Wait," he said, but she hacked at the rope that was tied around a tree trunk. The rope snapped causing him to drop hard onto the ground.

April grimaced and rushed back towards him. "Are you okay?" she worriedly asked, helping him sit up. She noticed the blood trails and the cut on the left side of Jackson's face. "You're hurt."

"Ah, it's nothing. Just a cut," he nonchalantly replied.

"What happened?"

"I uhh… ran into a tree branch," Jackson lied, too embarrassed to mention the sadistic squirrels. "I'm fine. That trap, though… I think it nearly broke my ankle."

She forced herself to laugh. "I'm sorry. That was the purpose of the trap. It was a good knot, huh?"

"You made that?"

"How do you think I got an 8?" April boasted with a grin. "I made the same exact trap during my private session and the dummy's leg broke off. I guess the Gamemakers were impressed."

Jackson cupped her cheek, brushing it with his thumb. He leaned forward and softly kissed her lips. "Well, color me proud. You have no idea how happy I am to see you again. I've been worried about you since we jumped off those platforms," he truthfully said. "I missed you. I never stopped searching for you."

She wrapped her arms over his shoulders and lightly kissed the tip of his nose. "We're together again. That's what matters now."

He leaned in for another kiss, but he turned his head when he heard a twig snap. Standing nearby were Matthew and Izzie, which ruined Jackson's joy. The axe – the same axe that he was almost killed with – most likely belonged to his foe. He hated the thought of becoming temporary allies with the District 7 tributes, but he was willing to do anything at the moment to protect April.

"Well, whaddya know? It's Lover Boy," Izzie teasingly stated as she approached the District 4 pair. She and April helped Jackson stand up. "You've got quite the cut on your face. Matthew managed to snatch up a first aid kit at the cornucopia, so we can take care of that."

Looking over the blonde's shoulder, Jackson eyed Matthew suspiciously. The latter remained standing in his original place, his jaw clenched as he stared back at him intently. It was obvious to him that there were going to be problems between them. The man tried to kill him early after all and he doubted April knew about what had happened at the cornucopia. He needed to figure out a way to dissociate themselves from them when the opportunity arose.

April rolled up her partner's sleeping bag, while he picked up his trident. "We set up a base not too far from here, so we should head back before somebody else sees us," she suggested.

Matthew slowly nodded and waved his arm. "Follow me," he murmured before turning away and walking with Izzie.

Jackson grabbed a hold of April's free hand, intertwining their fingers together. "Just to be safe," he insisted and she smirked back at him in response. "So, you've been alright? Did you run away from the action when the countdown ended?"

"Uh huh, Libby told me to," she answered, leading him to their base. "I was hiding out in some bushes when Izzie found me. We waited for Matthew, then we searched for a safe place to settle and hide from anything dangerous. So far, we've been okay. We still have some fruit and water leftover from the bag Matthew brought us. He was able to gather a bunch of stuff without getting killed."

"I bet it was so heroic of him," he sarcastically replied, rolling his eyes.

The redhead softly chuckled. "There's no reason to be jealous of him."

"Who said I was jealous?"

"Please, if you could change colors, your face would be green with envy right now," April scoffed and laughed at her own joke. He simply sighed in response, so she stopped walking and faced him. She tugged on his jacket and pulled him close to her body. "I don't need him when I have you."

Jackson couldn't help but smile at her comment. Whether she meant it or she was putting on a believable act for Panem, he appreciated hearing that she needed him. He preferred it to be sincere rather than fake, though. "I love you," he blurted out.

She opened her mouth to speak, unsure of how to respond. Excluding her father, no man had ever said those words to her. "Let's- let's clean up your cut," she timidly answered, taking his hand and guiding him to their hideout.

The site was a cave located beside a creek. Inside, the supplies Matthew had gathered were neatly organized against a wall. There was a pile of wood in the center for fire. Not a bad place to hide from the Careers.

April forced Jackson to sit down while she retrieved the first aid kit. She unrolled some gauze and wet it with water before she started cleaning the blood off of his face. "A tree branch did this to you?" she asked skeptically. "Because your cut looks more like a bite mark."

"It was a spiky tree branch," he argued, wincing after she pressed the gauze against his cut too hard.

"The truth, please." She raised her eyebrow at him when he mumbled inaudible words. "What was that? I couldn't quite understand what you just said."

"Squirrels," Jackson confessed. "I was sleeping in a tree and they attacked me. I ran and that's when I got caught in your trap."

April reached for an anti-bacterial gel and squirted a drop onto a Q-tip. "I see," she replied, fighting back her laugh. While she gently dabbed his cheek with the Q-tip, she noticed his bluish-green eyes were attentively focused on her. "What?"

He smiled as he tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. "Nothing. You're just so… beautiful."

"Are you kidding me? I haven't taken a bath in three days. My hair is a mess. Using the bathroom outdoors is incredibly stressful because I can't pee in peace without worrying about somebody decapitating me and-" This time it was his turn to cut her off by kissing her. She giggled against his lips and playfully pushed him away. "Band-aid. You need a band-aid."

Jackson softly chuckled as she sifted through the first aid kit for a band-aid. "You missed kissing me. Just admit it," he teased, running his hand along her arm. She slightly flinched causing him to smile. "Oh, c'mon. You know the cameras see everything anyway. Don't act shy around me like you hardly know me."

April shook her head while she placed a small band-aid against his cheek. "That's the problem – the cameras see e_verything_. My dad's watching this," she whispered. He gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to his chest. Their noses were centimeters away from each other. "Jackson…"

"You haven't said it yet," he murmured with a mischievous grin on his face. "Say it."

"Say what?"

"That you missed me."

She rested her hands against his chest and smiled. "You should know the answer to that."

The way she spoke to him and touched him, April was driving Jackson nuts. Either they had a genuine connection or she was one hell of an actress, he thought. He wished he could read her mind and find out what she truly thought about him. Although he didn't want to think about it, their time together was running out, maybe even faster than he assumed due to the unpredictability of the Games.

* * *

Back in the Capitol, the talk of the afternoon was the unique kiss between the District 4 tributes. Various replays from different camera angles were played on a loop accompanied by Sydney Heron's commentary. The citizens were enamored by Jackson and April's reunion, many of them cheerfully weeping after watching the doomed lovers find each other in the arena.

_"You can feel the love between them explode during that kiss!" Sydney excitedly stated as a zoomed in shot of the upside down kiss played on a television screen. "It's safe to say the power couple of this year's Games became even more powerful now."_

Finn snickered against the rim of his glass before sipping his drink. He and Libby watched the highlights of their tributes' romantic moment while they relaxed at a bar. "I gotta hand it to your sister. April's a freaking genius," he confessed.

Libby tapped her fingers against her empty glass and sighed. "I need another drink," she muttered. The bar was filled with Capitol citizens raving about Jackson and April. Their popularity shot up even more after the kiss, yet she couldn't feel elated about it at all. She loathed the tragic love story from the beginning and she feared her sister wasn't faking her role in it anymore. And having to watch her younger sister's innocence slowly disappear made her a little nauseated. "That stupid girl."

"She's kicking ass, Lib. You should be proud," he scolded her.

"Oh, you know what I meant when I said that," she argued. "April wasn't supposed to actually-"

"Mr. Dandridge and Ms. Kepner!" Arizona's voice called out to the two mentors from behind them. Decorated in orange attire, she trotted towards them in her high heels with a man who appeared to be in his mid-30's. "This lovely fellow wanted to meet with you face to face. This is Denny Duquette. He would like to sponsor your tributes."

Denny sported short, midnight blue hair and a black suit. He extended his hand out and grinned at the pair. "It's a pleasure to meet with you both," he politely greeted them, shaking each of their hands. "At first, I was planning on keeping my loyalties to District 1, but your kids are just too enticing to ignore. Whatever amount of money you want, I'll give it to you. You ask for it and you've got it. Send them anything you want. I'll have it covered."

Finn raised both eyebrows, taken aback by his offer. He had never formed allies with a sponsor who didn't have limited spending. The majority of them always sponsored the tributes from the luxury district due to their similarities in wealth. "Wow. Thank you, sir," he delightfully replied, firmly shaking Denny's hand once more. "We appreciate it."

Libby nodded in agreement. Even she couldn't deny the fact that they were just blessed with a charitable sponsor. "Yes, we really do."

As the two Capitol citizens walked away – with Arizona babbling nonstop to Denny – Finn crossed his arms in front of his chest and smiled. "See? I told you. April's a genius," he gloated. "This guy fell onto our laps and now we have the power to send them just about anything they need."

She rolled her eyes and smirked at him. "Yeah, yeah. You made your point."

* * *

Night fell and in order to prevent a surprise attack from any other tributes lurking nearby, Jackson, April, Izzie and Matthew agreed to keep watch in split shifts. The pair from District 4 opted to go first, so the District 7 tributes went to sleep. The twosome sat across from each other by the cave's opening with weapons in their hands. Jackson had his trident beside him and April held an axe against her lap.

To keep each other awake, they occasionally played footsies making each other quietly laugh. The redhead couldn't stop herself from blushing whenever her "boyfriend" smiled at her. She constantly thought about earlier that day when he said he loved her. It hadn't sounded fake to her, but she still couldn't be too sure. Jackson had been very affectionate towards her all day, holding her hand and kissing her every chance he got. She still had her doubts. The cameras were on them 24/7, so they couldn't take a break from being a "couple".

She found herself caring for him more than she wanted to. Libby's advice about not falling for him was failing horribly. Being away from him the first two days had been difficult. She was relieved when he didn't appear in the list of fallen tributes, but she continued to feel vulnerable without him. At least she hadn't been alone. Matthew and Izzie were treating her like an ally. Nothing sneaky had happened when she was with them, but she wasn't sure how long that would have lasted if she hadn't found Jackson after a week.

April wasn't sure what came over her when she impulsively kissed him. Growing up at home, she hadn't shown that type of boldness to anybody. She wondered how Reed reacted to all of their kisses. Her father probably wanted to pretend none of it occurred. Even with her dry spell of boyfriends, he still acted like a protective father around any boy near her.

Thinking about the kiss drew her eyes back to Jackson's lips. They were soft and warm and…

Her thoughts were interrupted by a faint sound coming from above. It sounded like a chime and it was becoming louder and louder. She peeked her head out to see a parachute with a silver case dropping from the sky. "Jackson!" she whispered, pointing at it. "Is that what I think it is?"

Jackson glanced up and smiled when the parachute landed five feet away from them. "Did we get a gift?" He looked back at Matthew and Izzie, who were passed out inside of the cave. "I don't think it's for them."

April checked the area for any danger before she sprinted outside to retrieve the parachute. There was a note attached to the case, which made her roll her eyes when she read it.

_Some sweets to keep those lips puckered up – F & L_

She returned to her spot across from her partner and set the case in between them. "Ignore the note."

Of course, Jackson did the exact opposite and read the message from their mentors. "Nice," he chuckled, then he opened the case. Their eyes grew wide as they discovered what was inside – several pieces of heart shaped milk chocolates. "They sent us dessert."

April immediately picked up a piece and took a bite out of it. She closed her eyes, softly moaning as she savored the caramel filling inside. It didn't matter to her that she had barely eaten anything for dinner. Dessert was dessert. No way she would pass up dessert, especially in the conditions they were in. "Thank you," she mumbled to herself.

"Thank you indeed," he concurred with a mouthful of chocolate.

There was an even number of pieces, so they divided it fairly between each other. Jackson noticed a string of caramel on April's bottom lip and reached for it with his thumb. "You got some on your lip," he stated, wiping it away for her. She seemed to be embarrassed since she practically stuffed her mouth and finished her share quickly. He had one more left and offered it to her. "You can have this one too."

She waved her hand. "No, I can't. I don't want to have a bad stomach ache. You eat it. You've eaten less than I have."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

A blood curdling scream echoed throughout the forest, followed by the sound of the cannon firing. Jackson clutched his trident as he stepped out of the cave checking their surroundings. He held up his hand at April when she attempted to talk. "Shh." Up in the sky, a portrait of Henry Burton was displayed as the latest fatality in the Games. "Henry from 6 is dead."

April frowned. "That makes eleven deaths, right?"

He nodded as he returned to his spot. "I don't know if he was in our area, but that sounded brutal."

"What do you think killed him?" she asked worriedly.

"Could've been the Careers or a mutt in the arena we haven't seen yet," he replied with a shrug. Jackson sensed April was becoming paranoid based on the way she nervously chewed on her bottom lip. He patted the space in between his legs. "Come over here and sleep against me."

She politely shook her head. "No, I can't. We're keeping watch."

"I'll keep watch. You should rest," he insisted.

"_You _should sleep. You've had a rougher day than I have."

"I'm not going to argue with you about this," Jackson chuckled. "Get over here and cuddle."

April sheepishly smiled and crawled towards him. She leaned back against his chest, feeling a rush of warmth in her cheeks as he draped his left arm over her abdomen. "Are you comfortable? I mean, I'm not crushing anything you don't want to lose, right?"

He kissed the top of her head. "I'm alright." Setting his trident down, he reached inside of his pocket and pulled out the picture of the redhead. "I brought this into the arena with me."

She stared at the picture of herself, raising her eyebrow. "How? I mean, where did you get this?"

"I've always had it. It's my favorite photo of you," he admitted.

Now, April felt even more confused. Was the picture a scheme planned by Finn and Libby? Did their mentors even know about the picture? If it was all Jackson's doing, then maybe his feelings weren't fake. He surprised her more than _she_ surprised him. All this time, he might have had deep feelings for her and she pushed him away? Then again, he hadn't made his feelings known at home.

Why would he wait until they were fighting for their lives to reveal his feelings?

Perhaps it was her fault, she thought. She hardly gave him any attention because she had been easily irritated by his presence. Always pushing him away and shutting him down, but he was constantly surrounded by other girls, so how could she have known?

It wasn't fair. She fought so hard to ignore her feelings for him when he might have been truly in love with her all along. And she believed she never stood a chance against the other pretty girls in their district, so falling for him was pointless.

April shifted her body, slightly turning to face her district partner. "I love you, Jackson."

Jackson cracked a smile and tilted her chin up with his thumb to kiss her. He slowly kissed her, cupping her cheek and teasing her bottom lip with his tongue. She placed her hand against his chest as he deepened the kiss. He pulled away from her, his lips brushing against hers before he opened his eyes. "I love you too."

She returned to her original position, resting her forearm on top of his as she laid her head against his shoulder. "Goodnight."

He gently kissed her forehead and nuzzled his nose against her hair. While he kept his eyes open for anything suspicious outside of the cave, he couldn't stop thinking about those three words she had said to him. If this is what being in love felt like – can't eat, can't sleep type of feeling – then he regretted not telling her the truth sooner. They could have had a happy life together if he hadn't been such a coward.

* * *

April slept through the night until it was time to switch shifts with Matthew and Izzie. The District 7 tributes kept watch for the rest of the night, while Jackson got much needed sleep. Much to his delight, he and April snuggled close together in his sleeping bag. The latter woke up early, leaving him alone momentarily to wash her face in the nearby creek. When she returned she sat beside him, smiling at how adorable he looked asleep.

The sleeping bag covered him from the neck down. He looked like a sleeping puppy in her mind. She lightly petted his shaved head, admiring the short bristles of hair growing out of it. After the previous night, she didn't want to pretend to love him anymore. The fact that she wanted to be with him made it easier to be affectionate towards him. The audience wouldn't know the difference anyway.

Jackson stirred in his sleep, his eyes fluttering open. He noticed April sitting beside him and shyly smiling as he rubbed his eyes. "Is it morning?" he asked and yawned afterwards.

"It is. You're the last one to wake up." She nodded her head towards the cave entrance. "Matthew and Izzie went out to get some viable wood for the fire. He caught a rabbit last night, so we have breakfast."

He sat up and stretched his arms over his head. "You know, we should bail."

"Why?"

"How much longer can we trust them, April? This place is good for now, but sooner or later, they're going to turn on us," he convincingly said. Jackson pointed at the various supplies behind him. "We can take some of this with us. We should make a move now before they come back."

April grimaced. "What if they catch us?"

"Then we make a run for it." Jackson cupped the redhead's cheeks and sighed. "All we need is each other, remember? As long as we're together, we'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to you. You trust me, right?"

"Of course," she replied, quickly nodding.

The sound of Matthew's voice forced them to drop the conversation. He and Izzie entered the cave carrying stacks of branches in their arms. "Ah, Avery. Did April tell you I caught a rabbit last night? Caught it with my bare hands," he arrogantly greeted him.

"I heard," the pretty boy muttered, then he pushed himself up. "Bathroom break for me. I'll be right back."

Following the creek's stream to a more secluded area, Jackson used the opportunity to devise an escape plan for him and April. Sticking with the other two would eventually put them in danger. Matthew likely had dreams of how to kill him when he had another chance to. Regardless of how polite they acted, they weren't safe with the District 7 tributes.

He relieved himself by a bush and scanned the area. It was mainly what seemed like a never ending stretch of forest to him. Amongst the different scenery inside of the arena, the forest appeared to be the safest. Of course, nothing in the arena could be considered safe, but there hadn't been a major threat yet except for those mutated squirrels.

Jackson rinsed his hands in the water and threw some at his face. Living in the wilderness hadn't been overly terrible, but he missed his shower. As he stood up, he spun around when he heard footsteps. He ducked just in time before an axe could decapitate him. Izzie swung her axe at him again causing him to fall backwards into the creek.

"Don't even bother running, Pretty Boy. I won the axe throwing contest in my age group three years in a row," the blonde warned him. She raised the axe above her head and devilishly grinned down at him. "And don't worry about April. Matthew's taking care of her."

He kicked his leg out and tripped Izzie. She dropped her axe after falling onto her back, giving him enough time to climb out of the creek. He knelt down above her and wrapped his large hands around her neck to prevent her from screaming. She struggled to loosen his grip, which only made him squeeze tighter. Soon her body went limp after he cut off her oxygen supply.

Jackson immediately stood up, gazing down at Izzie's dead body. Her eyes remained wide open staring back at him. A cannon fired seconds later to signal the end of her Hunger Games. "Oh, shit," he mumbled to himself. He had actually killed someone, a real person. Although he knew he would be forced to do it at some point, the feeling had become too overwhelming as he turned around and vomited into the creek.

Wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket, he suddenly remembered what Izzie had said. April was alone with _Matthew_. Without thinking twice, he sprinted back towards the cave. He dove behind a giant tree when he spotted the taller man heading towards his direction with another axe. Jackson hid against the tree hoping he couldn't be seen. Matthew must have decided to check and see if his teammate finished the job on him.

As his enemy ran past him, he waited for the right time to make a run for it. Counting silently to three in his head, Jackson started running back to the cave hoping April was still alive. She stood just outside of the entrance and he grabbed a hold of her hand before she could react, dragging her along towards the opposite direction.

"Jackson! What-"

"No time to explain! Just keep running," he ordered, looking over his shoulder to ensure they weren't being followed. They ran for about two minutes before they stopped in a secluded area. He bent over, resting his hands on top of his knees as he panted heavily.

April was in the same position as she took deep breaths. "Jack…son, wh- what the… hell… happened?"

Jackson weakly pointed at the direction they came from. "Izzie." He paused to take another deep breath. "Izzie… just tried to kill me. I-I I killed her. That bastard Matthew probably sent her down to kill me. He already tried to kill me once and that's why I wanted to ditch them."

"He _what_?"

"Yeah, at the start of the Games. He almost killed me when we were at the cornucopia. I was retrieving my trident-" He slapped his forehead in frustration as he remembered he left behind his prized weapon. "Fuck! I left the trident in the cave!"

"We could go back for it later," April suggested.

He waved his arms in protest. "No way. We can't go back until Matthew is dead. He'll be waiting for us. We're just gonna have to keep moving for now."

Without any weapons or supplies on them, Jackson was pissed at himself for leaving the cave by himself. His belongings were gone and returning to the cave was nearly suicide at that moment. A part of him felt defenseless without his trident. He hoped their mentors took notice of this and were already in heavy negotiations with sponsors to assist them in the arena.

They walked hand in hand trying to find a source of food, but all they found were suspicious berries that neither of them wanted to taste. There wasn't sign of any life around them for the longest time until the familiar chiming sound drew their attention. A parachute was on its way down making the couple smile.

Jackson caught the silver case before it landed on the ground. He took a quick peek at the note from Finn and Libby.

_We don't want you starving to death now – F & L_

He opened the large can and inside were sandwiches and a bottle of water. "Thanks, guys."

April grinned widely as they sat down against a tree. "This might be the first time I'm fully appreciative of my sister," she chirped, picking up one of the sandwiches and taking a bite out of it. She rested her head against Jackson's shoulder as she ate her lunch. "Where are we sleeping tonight?"

"I don't know," he sighed. "But we'll find a place. I'll stay up all night to keep watch if I have to."

"When I heard that cannon I wasn't sure what think."

"I wanted to get back to you as fast as I could. I thought maybe… maybe Matthew did something to you while I was gone," he dejectedly stated and shook his head. "I'm a freaking idiot. I shouldn't have left you alone like that, especially after I just told you I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

She slipped her hand into his and kissed his cheek. "It's okay, Jackson. I'm okay."

Jackson kissed the back of her hand. "And I'm relieved you're okay."

After finishing their sandwiches, they decided to continue walking. Both of them turned around when a voice called out Jackson's name. It was Charles from District 10. He happily waved as he approached them. "Man, I'm glad to see you," the burly man stated.

"Charles, it's good to see you too," he replied, shaking his hand. "Where have you been?"

"Oh, I was over on the other side in that jungle. A word of advice, don't go anywhere near there. It's a hazard zone everywhere you go," the dark haired man informed them. He showed off a fresh scar on his abdomen. "Snakes, poisonous lizards – everywhere. Even the trees are dangerous. I ate these gumdrops that made me hallucinate a ton of gnarly shit. I thought I'd never get out of that hell hole."

April nodded. "We'll keep that in mind."

Charles patted Jackson's shoulder and grinned. "So, where ya off to?"

Suddenly, he groaned causing both Jackson and April to grow concerned. Charles fell to his knees and it was then they discovered the knife lodge into his back. They looked up to see the Careers running towards them with their weapons in their hands.

"Shit! Run!" the pretty boy yelled, taking April's hand and leading her through the forest.

Cristina yanked her knife out from Charles' dead body as she passed by. "Where are you going, guys? We just want to talk to you!" she teasingly shouted. "Hey, Pretty Boy! For somebody who's supposed to be a favorite to win, you sure are a wuss. Be a man and face us!"

Jackson occasionally looked back to see how far away the Career tributes were from them. He heard April scream in pain as he lost grip of her hand. She fell to the ground after Owen successfully threw a knife at her leg. The knife had punctured her right calf.

She pulled the knife out of her leg just as he helped her up. "Jackson, I can't run," she said with tears streaming down her face.

"It's alright. I got you." He picked her up, carrying her in his arms as he ran as hard as he could. The Careers were beginning to gain on them, but he refused to look back. To make matters worse, he hit a dead end when he reached a cliff. Below them were rapids, which the river he remembered seeing from his platform likely led to. "I think we have to jump."

April's eyes widened. "Are you crazy?! We don't know how deep that water is. Not mention how _high_ we are from it."

"We don't have a choice! If we stay here, those goons will kill us. We have to, April."

"But-"

"No, we have to." Jackson could hear the Careers taunting them as they inched closer. He set April down onto her feet and placed his hand against her cheek. "I love you. We're gonna make it, you hear me?"

She nodded with a frown on her face as he took her hand. "I umm…"

"On three. One, two-"

"I can't swim, Jackson!" she shrieked.

"_What?!_" He stared at her dumbfounded. District 4 consistently had the best swimmers, yet she just admitted she couldn't swim at all. Before he could yell at her even more, he noticed Mark preparing to throw his spear at him. "Screw it! Just jump!"

The two of them jumped together as Mark's spear flew over the edge. They landed in the water, which turned out to be about twenty feet deep and the rapids made it more difficult to stay afloat. Jackson reached the surface as the rapids thrashed him around. He had lost April after they hit the water and she was nowhere to be found. He frantically searched for her as the river rapids led him down stream.

"April!" he shouted as loud as he could. "April, where are you?!"

Finally, he spotted her arms reaching out of the water as she struggled to stay afloat. Jackson swam as hard as he could to her, fighting against the current. She went under before he could get to her and he dove underwater hoping to find her. It felt as if the rapids were pulling him away from her, but he refused to give up. He managed to grasp her forearm and he brought her up to the surface. However, she was unconscious.

He used all of the strength he had left to swim towards the nearby ground. His arms and legs were exhausted, but he wasn't going to rest until he knew April was okay. Pulling themselves out of the water, Jackson laid her onto her back and frowned at her faded blue complexion. She wasn't breathing and he immediately started performing CPR on her.

"C'mon, April. You can't do this to me," he nervously said, doing compressions against her chest. "Don't die on me."

Back in the control center, Bailey attentively watched Jackson attempt to resuscitate April without any luck. She signaled to one of the other Gamemakers as she kept her eyes on the giant screen in front of her. "Let's get that cannon ready."

* * *

**I was inspired by the Spiderman movie in the beginning ;D Let me know what you think please!**


	8. The Lifesaver

**Thank you for the reviews! :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_"Well, it seems April Kepner's stay in the arena is about to be finished," Sydney dejectedly announced from the studio while she observed the action on a screen. She watched as Jackson desperately performed CPR on his district teammate. "Could this be the end of our District 4 lovers' journey?"_

Watching the feed in their apartment, Finn furrowed his brow as he stared at the television screen. "C'mon, Avery." He looked over his shoulder at Libby, who stood behind the couch with her back facing everyone. She was in tears, dreading that infamous cannon sound because her sister died. "She's not dead. Jackson will revive her."

"It's been almost two minutes," Libby murmured, clearing her throat afterwards. "And even if she wakes up, there's still her leg to be concerned about. She's slowly bleeding out because of that."

"Have a little more faith," Addison advised. "Besides, your team's earned some very reliable sponsors who will provide April with the medical care she needs."

She angrily spun around, scowling at the stylist. "I don't care about talking to the sponsors right now! I have to make sure my sister is okay before I think about anything else."

Inside of the arena, Jackson was on his third round of chest compressions. He tearfully continued to attempt to resuscitate April and he blamed himself for her drowning in the first place. If he hadn't let go of her hand, she wouldn't be close to dying, he thought. The cannon hadn't fired yet, which meant her vitals hadn't flat lined either. He knew time was running out, though.

Tilting her chin up once more, he performed another round of mouth to mouth. Finally, he heard her choking on water and sat back as she coughed it up. He let out a sigh of relief and quickly rubbed his teary eyes with the back of his hand.

"April?" he softly said, hovering over her. Jackson smiled when April opened her eyes. "You're okay."

She spit out more water from her mouth, squinting her eyes at him. "Huh?"

"You… you died. You drowned and you were dead for a minute there," he tearfully answered. Jackson cupped April's cheek and gently stroked it with his thumb. "I thought I lost you."

"Are- are you crying?" she asked curiously.

Jackson used his jacket to wipe away the tears that had escaped his eyes. He cleared his throat before he replied, "I'm a terrible protector, aren't I?" She managed to smile making him laugh. "I'm so sorry."

April slowly pushed herself up causing him to help her. "No. We had to jump," she insisted, wincing as the stinging pain from the cut of her leg returned. She lifted her right pant leg and grimaced as blood gushed out through her compression bottoms.

Removing his jacket, Jackson tied it around her wound. "It's nothing, okay? Just a scratch. You'll be fine," he half-heartedly assured her. If they didn't receive any medical aid from the sponsors soon, he knew she could bleed out or suffer from a blood infection. He carefully scooped her up into his arms and stood up. "Is this alright?"

She nodded, wrapping her arm around his neck. "Thank you."

He leaned in and gently pressed his lips against hers. "You're welcome. Let's find a place to hide." Suddenly, the sound of thunder startled them and rain immediately began to pour from above. He glanced up and sighed. "Great. As if we needed to get drenched even more."

April nestled her face against Jackson's neck. "How far do you think we are from the cave?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't think we can go back there. Matthew will probably be waiting," he answered disappointedly. Truthfully, he wasn't sure where to take her and carrying her around all day wasn't an option either. They needed to find shelter fast, especially with the torrential downpour they were currently in. The river had taken them to the opposite side of the forest, which felt like unfamiliar territory to Jackson.

He had been wandering through the forest for about twenty minutes when she spotted an opening behind some shrub. "What's that over there?"

After approaching the opening, Jackson kicked aside the shrub and they found an entrance to another cave. "You have good eyes, but I can barely see a thing inside." He crouched down, still carrying April, and shuffled into the cave just enough to get them out of the rain. "This'll do for now."

It didn't take long for them to hear that chiming sound from above. This time, it was a large, silver crate coming down from the sky. April gasped as she pointed at their newest sponsor gift. "Would you look at that thing?"

A wide grin formed on his face as the crate landed on the ground. Jackson quickly ran out of the cave, picking up the crate and bringing it inside. He found the note attached to it, which only came from Libby.

_Thank you – L_

"What is it?" April asked while she examined the crate.

Jackson removed the lid and the two tributes were amazed to find various supplies for them – a new sleeping bag, a blanket, an LED lantern, water, various fruits, a first aid kit and some sort of medicinal cream for April's wound. "Looks like we have something to treat your cut with," he happily stated.

Turning on the lantern, he decided to check the area. The cave was empty and the only opening was the entrance. He set the lantern in the middle to illuminate the inside before returning to the entrance to get April. He carried her inside, then he went back to retrieve the crate.

April sat down with her arms in front of her chest as she shivered. "I'm starting to realize I took our weather at home for granted."

"We need to get out of these clothes," he declared, drawing a stunned stare from her. Jackson yanked his compression top over his head and tossed it aside. "We're soaked and _you_ especially need to dry up. You're freaking shivering. You don't want hypothermia, do you?"

She shook her head as her teeth chattered. "N-no, but-"

"April, I need to look at your cut too. I don't want to sound like a pervert, but take off your clothes," he ordered with a smirk on his face. Jackson tossed the blanket to her. "Just strip down to your underwear and cover yourself with this."

Throwing the blanket over her head, April slowly began to remove her clothes. It was nerve wracking enough stripping in front of him, but now the whole nation would also see her half-naked thanks to the cameras hidden inside of the cave. The worst part was removing her bottoms. Her right leg felt like it was on fire as she gingerly pulled down her compression pants after taking off her cargo pants. She forced herself to bite on the inside of her cheek when she saw the blood spilling out from her cut. The sight of her own blood made her nauseous.

She wrapped the blanket around her body and glanced over at Jackson, who was sifting through the first aid kit in his boxer briefs. Her eyes scanned every inch of his toned body and she immediately felt guilty for thinking such dirty thoughts about him. While her feelings for him continued to increase, she still felt envious of the girls at home who had been with him, the ones who didn't have to worry about dying in the arena.

And if he were to make it out alive, they would be throwing themselves at him as soon as he stepped off of the train, she thought.

"Alright. Uhh… I'll rinse your wound first," Jackson said as he brought some supplies to her. He asked her to lie down on her side, so he could treat her cut. He used saline to rinse the blood from her leg, then he examined the cream's label. "Apply gently. Hmm… must be one of those fast working things."

April slightly flinched when he rubbed the cold cream against her wound, but it quickly became soothing. "That feels good actually," she murmured.

He started to feel a little uneasy listening to her softly moan. Underneath that blanket, she was half-naked and the only thing stopping him from joining her in there was the fact that her father was likely watching them. And there were also his older brothers, who were probably laughing at his compromised position. He wrapped gauze around her leg to finish his job.

"All done," he awkwardly stated, sitting up beside her.

She rolled onto her back before pushing herself up. "Thanks, Jackson."

"Are you hungry?"

"I'm pretty thirsty."

Jackson opened a water bottle for April and handed it to her. He watched her gulp down the water, then he unrolled the sleeping bag. It probably wasn't dusk yet, but his close encounter with death, being chased down by the Careers, surviving the rapids and resuscitating his teammate had drained his energy. He noticed she continued to shiver and partially unzipped the sleeping bag.

"Do you want to lie down with me? We'll produce body heat faster if we stay close together," he insisted. His body temperature was dropping as well, but he tried not to show it.

April nervously chewed on her bottom lip as her eyes gazed back and forth between the sleeping bag and the pretty boy. She didn't have much of a choice, though. It was either snuggle with him or freeze to death and she wasn't ready to die. "Okay," she whispered, crawling towards the sleeping bag and climbing in first. She set the blanket aside once she was in a comfortable position.

Jackson joined her soon after, zipping up the sleeping bag and engulfing her into his muscular arms. There wasn't a lot of room to move around, so sharing a small space meant immediate skin to skin contact. He pressed his forehead against hers as he rubbed his hands all over her back.

Her fingertips grazed his pecs, then she draped her arm over his side and gently stroked his back with her hand. The touching certainly hadn't made things easier for either of them. The sexual tension between them had grown unbearable. Without giving it much thought, she raised her head and kissed him.

He raised his eyebrows in response and gladly returned the kiss. Carefully rolling onto his back, Jackson pulled the sleeping bag over their heads hoping to torture the Capitol citizens watching them. Perhaps teasing them would result in more gifts, he thought. And privacy was something he really missed. He deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue into her mouth as he cupped her backside.

She grasped his cheeks, moaning against his lips. But something beneath her didn't feel right. Her thigh was pressing on something hard and… "_Ohh_," she softly gasped. With only a thin piece of fabric separating her from him, she practically felt everything. "Umm…"

Jackson grimaced, clearly embarrassed by what she discovered. Of course they weren't going to have sex on national television and she was a freaking virgin. Like she really wanted the whole world to see her lose her virginity to him in a dirty cave. "I… uhh…" He wasn't sure how to explain himself considering it was obvious to the both of them what was turning him on. They were half-naked for crying out loud. "…if you want to stop-"

"I mean, am I hurting you?" she sheepishly asked. It was somewhat endearing seeing Mr. Experienced so rattled that she laughed. "Because I can scoot over."

"Well, if you're uncomfortable…" He brushed aside loose strands of her hair and smiled. "I wish we could- I know we can't and I shouldn't be doing this to you."

"Doing what?" she inquired with a raised eyebrow. "Makeout with me?"

He was amused by how naïve she was, but he didn't want her to feel awkward about it. Instead, he brought her lips back to his and kissed her again. Their intimate moment was interrupted by yet another chiming sound. "Crap," he muttered to himself.

Jackson grabbed the blanket as he sat up and wrapped it around his waist. Nobody needed to see his excitement level at that moment. He rushed towards the entrance where a small, silver case attached to a parachute was resting on the shrubs. It was another gift from Libby with a note that made him fear April's older sister even more.

_Safe sex or no sex, mister – L_

As if he hadn't guessed what was inside, there was a package of condoms. He rolled his eyes, setting the case down knowing April couldn't see that or she would be scarred for life. Jackson walked back to the sleeping bag and rejoined her inside. "Uhh… false alarm."

"Really? I heard it loud and clear," she suspiciously replied.

"It must have been for someone else because I didn't see anything." He pulled her close against his chest, kissing her forehead. "We should try to get some sleep. I think we'll be okay for now."

April nodded and closed her eyes. She liked the idea of Jackson keeping her warm and his larger arms covering her like a protective barrier. If only she hadn't realized that inside of the arena.

* * *

"We almost had her!" a furious Cristina barked as she and the other Careers walked out of the forest to return to the cornucopia. She scowled at the group, especially her district teammate. "Owen, the leg? Really?"

"I slowed her down," Owen grumbled.

The Asian woman threw her arms up in frustration. "I told you the _back_! Nail her in the spine! Paralyze her and she's completely useless for the rest of the Games. Some sponsor probably sent her medicine for her cut and she'll be healed in no time," she angrily responded. "Do I gotta do all of the work myself?"

"You've been running most of the show anyway," Callie muttered, trailing a few feet away from the District 2 tributes with Mark. She motioned her sword across her neck, then she nodded her head towards Cristina. Her partner immediately shook his head causing her to roll her eyes.

The foursome returned to their base camp at the cornucopia, walking in a specific pattern to avoid setting off the mines buried in the ground. Prior to the start of the Games, mines were placed in the ground in front of the platforms to prevent tributes from jumping early. Those who tried to get a head start turned into pink mist. Tied up inside of the cornucopia was Lexie, who was asked to reactivate the mines to scare off potential threats who attempted to steal their supplies. The only positive side to being left behind – she wasn't soaking wet like the Careers were.

Mark unfastened the rope used to secure Lexie into her chair. "Nobody came by?"

"If they did, this area would just be a large hole in the ground," the District 3 tribute murmured. She stretched her arms to ease away the stiffness in her joints. The Careers had left for over an hour putting her in an uncomfortable position. "Umm… I have to use the restroom- err, well… I need to pee."

"Deactivate the mines first, then Torres will take you to the woods," Cristina instructed, opening a crate and searching for dry clothes.

Lexie did as she was told, then Callie escorted her towards the forest. The District 1 tribute guided the brunette in front of her, holding her sword inches away from her body to prevent her from pulling a fast one and running away. They found a decent area for her to relieve herself, while the Latina woman kept watch and scanned their surroundings.

"You know we're just waiting for the right time to get rid of you?" she asked the young tribute.

"Well, we both can't win," Lexie noted.

Callie scoffed. "You winning? Let's not get in over our heads, but… you _could_ help me eliminate Yang," she offered, digging the tip of her sword into the ground. "Make it look like an accident?"

After Lexie fastened her pants, she stood up and raised her eyebrow at Callie. "You mean, you want me to devise a plan that could kill Cristina without the others suspecting us at all?"

"You're the genius. I'm sure you can come up with something," she insisted before pointing her sword towards the direction they originally came from. "Let's go. We don't want Yang growing impatient, given she doesn't have any patience to begin with."

Following Callie out of the forest, Lexie contemplated using a plan she created while the Careers were away on Cristina. However, she thought maybe sticking to her original idea could create friction amongst the group if she managed to successfully execute it.

* * *

Jackson stirred in his sleep as a noise from outside woke him up. He opened his eyes, blinking a few times before carefully sitting up in the sleeping bag. April remained sound asleep, even lightly snoring and making him quietly laugh. The noise soon became the familiar chiming sound. Another gift arrived, so he stood up to check and see what they received. Peeking out from the entrance of the cave, his face lit up at the sight of a new trident. It had landed twenty yards away from him, but he wanted to cover himself up a little before heading out to retrieve his weapon.

Most of his clothes were still wet, but he slipped on his cargo pants and shoes. On the bright side, it had stopped raining sometime during their nap. Checking his surroundings, Jackson sprinted out of the cave and towards the shiny, silver trident. He picked it up and admired the extra sharp edges. Much better than the one he had in the beginning of the Games. The note attached to it made him smile.

_Don't lose this one. I actually had to beg on my knees for this – F_

He heard a twig snap behind him and he turned around just in time to avoid Matthew's swinging axe. Jackson blocked the next swing with the base of his trident, using the opportunity to knee the District 7 tribute in the abdomen.

Matthew groaned, briefly clutching his stomach before sneaking a punch into the pretty boy's face. "You killed my teammate," he snarled, blocking a counterattack with his axe. "So after I kill you, I'm gonna ensure your district watches April die a slow and painful death."

"You're not going anywhere near her," Jackson stated through gritted teeth. He attempted to stab the other man with his trident, but he was too quick for him. Another attempt was blocked by Matthew, who kicked his trident out of his hands.

"Someone's combat skills aren't as great as they appeared to be," he taunted, playfully tossing his axe back and forth between his hands. Matthew started swinging his axe at Jackson again, forcing the latter to defend himself without his weapon.

He screamed in pain after the edge of the axe cut his chest. Fortunately, it was a superficial cut, though blood trickled out from the diagonal cut on his left pec. Matthew tackled him onto the ground as they continued to tussle. He picked up a large rock and hit the side of Jackson's head.

Lying on the ground woozy and in pain, all Jackson could see was a blurry image of Matthew above him. One hand clutched his neck while his other hand prepared to end his life with his axe. "Nice knowing ya, Pretty Boy."

Suddenly a spurt of blood landed on the District 4 tribute's face. It wasn't his blood, though, but Matthew's. As his vision began to recover, he spotted blood dripping out of his foe's mouth – and the base of his trident sticking out from his back. April stood nearby, dressed in an unzipped jacket and her cargo pants. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open as she watched Matthew slowly die and collapse on top of Jackson.

A cannon fired to signal the latest death, then Jackson pushed Matthew's lifeless body away from him. "April," he muttered. "How in the world…"

"I- I woke up to voices outside and you were missing, so I-I- I came out to see what was happening," she reluctantly answered, clearly in shock after killing a person for the first time. The redhead gasped at the cut on his chest. She knelt down to examine his injuries. "Can you sit up?"

Although he attempted to sit up on his own, Jackson nearly fell back as his head throbbed. He gently touched the side of his head and winced when he touched the gash Matthew left behind. "You saved me. I… I thought I was dead," he glumly replied.

April frowned. "You're bleeding all over the place. Let's get you into the cave." She slowly helped him onto his feet, grimacing as the pain in her right leg returned. The cream seemed to be working, but she continued to feel a stinging pain when any pressure was added to it.

He yanked his trident from the dead tribute's back and she took the axe before they stumbled towards the cave. Just as they walked inside, a hovercraft arrived to take Matthew's body. It was the same routine for every tribute who perished. A large crane dropped from the bottom of the hovercraft and collected his body. It then flew away and disappeared from sight.

Jackson collapsed onto the sleeping bag and groaned loudly. April immediately brought the first aid kit to him, using the saline to rinse the blood from his head and chest. She gently rubbed the medicinal cream on his injuries before covering them with the leftover gauze. He took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"You're a better survivor than I am," he murmured.

"Why do you say that?" she asked curiously.

"Look at me. I got my ass kicked pretty bad," he chuckled. "Back at home, I didn't have to deal with fighting against other guys. I didn't train to kill people on a daily basis. What happened out there was a poor display that everybody saw on TV. My brothers are probably laughing their asses off right now."

She shook her head. "No. I bet they're concerned. You could've died, Jackson. And if you did, I'd kick your ass too."

Jackson laughed out loud and winced due to the throbbing pain in his head and chest. "Hmm… yeah, I should take it easy," he quipped.

"I wish you'd stop leaving me like that. I don't even care if it's for five seconds. You could've been killed _again_," she scolded him. "And this time, it was worse."

"But my trident-"

April placed her finger against Jackson's lips. "Your life is more important than your trident. Promise me you'll quit trying to be heroic and putting yourself in these bad situations. Unless you're trying to save me, I don't want you leaving my side," she ordered. "If you do it again, then _I'll_ kill you myself."

He smugly grinned at her. "Your feistiness is sexy."

"Jackson, I'm serious! You can't make me fall in love with you just so you can die in the stupidest way possible!" she retorted. "You're banged up and I'm banged up. We need to lay low until we're both healthy enough to move around freely."

"I'm sorry," he sighed, taking her hand and kissing the back of it once more. "I'm glad you were there to save me."

"I still can't believe I killed somebody," the redhead stated with a frown on her face. "I feel like… a murderer."

Jackson shook his head. "It was self-defense, April. You were protecting the both of us," he assured her. "And this is what the Games are all about. We all can't be like Libby. You did what you had to do to save us. If you hadn't stopped Matthew, he would've killed me and then you."

"A part of me just feels like an idiot because for a brief time I actually trusted him. Even though Finn and Libby told us not to trust anyone besides ourselves, I did it anyway. And I almost got you killed _twice_ because I let Matthew get a little too close."

"That wasn't your fault, okay? It was mine. I make foolish mistakes all the time without realizing it until much later." He gently squeezed her hand, holding it against his chest. "Umm… I remember when your mom died you weren't at school for a week. So that following Saturday morning, I got up early and bought some flowers. They were these white lilies with shades of pink on the petals. I brought them to your house, wrote 'Feel better soon, April' in the card without signing it, then I left them on the doorstep. I knocked on the door and ran home."

"_You_ left those?" April asked surprised. The memory remained clear in her mind. It was the first and only time anyone had ever bought her flowers, but she never found out who they were from until Jackson openly admitted it was him.

He slightly nodded and smiled. "The reason why I never signed my name was I thought you wouldn't want them. I mean, I was an obnoxious jerk to you even when we were kids, but I just didn't know how to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"How much I care about you. I've been in love with you since… the first time I saw you," Jackson confessed, drawing a wide-eyed stare from April. He softly laughed to himself as he recalled their first encounter. "We were four years old. My dad hosted this huge party for all of his factory workers and fishermen and he introduced us to your family. You were hiding behind your dad's leg until he moved you to the front. You did that thing where you bite on your bottom lip and I just thought you were the cutest girl I've ever seen."

She furrowed her brow at him. "Why did you treat me so horribly then?"

"I told you. I didn't know how to tell you how I felt. My brothers constantly teased me about liking you and I thought I had to prove them wrong by tormenting you as much as possible," he explained. "And… it wasn't until our teenage years did I feel ready to say something."

April's eyes swelled with tears. At home, Jackson never acted like a guy who was genuinely interested in her. He bothered her whenever he had the chance, but he treated her differently compared to the other girls. He flirted with those girls, kissed them in front of her like it was no big deal. She hadn't considered at all that he constantly bothered her because he was in love with her. The signs were never really there, not even when he offered her that pearl.

He never asked her out on a date or gave her a second look at the dances. He was always just there, flaunting his gorgeous body and adoring everybody who thought he was perfect in every way. And the way he had treated her didn't improve her self-esteem. She hated being around him because he made her feel like a joke.

And this was all because he was too cowardly to tell her he loved her? _Now_ he wanted to tell her everything while they were in the worst situation possible?

She was _pissed_.

"I… can't be near you right now," she angrily said, forcefully moving her hand away from him.

Jackson pushed himself up onto his elbows as April stood up and walked towards the entrance of the cave. "April, where are you going?" he asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"I just want to be alone for a while." She sat down close to the opening of the cave, pulling up her knees against her chest as tears trickled down her face. The idea that she could have been happy and in love with Jackson prior to the reaping broke her inside. He toyed with her feelings for so long and it hurt that he only found the courage to tell her the truth after they both suffered near death experiences.

He listened to her cry from where he rested and frowned. Did he just completely ruin everything by telling her the truth? At the same time, he hadn't said anything to destroy their tragic love story. If anything, he just made it even more tragic for everyone watching.

* * *

Night fell and the casualties of the day belonged to Izzie, Charles and Matthew. Following the announcement of the fallen tributes, the Careers gathered inside of the cornucopia to sleep. They left Lexie just outside of the mouth to keep watch during the night. The District 3 tribute hadn't slept for longer than an hour since the beginning of the Games. She managed to sneak in some snoozes while the older tributes were away hunting down Jackson and April, but she was very sleep deprived.

However, she had a plan. During the time she was alone, Lexie managed to slide out of the rope used to tie her down. She had sifted through the supplies in the cornucopia and found herself an electronics kit. She spent that time creating a trap, which she hoped would kill at least one of the Careers, and hid it in the crate she used as a chair. Before they returned, she repositioned the rope around her body as if she hadn't moved at all.

While the typical tribute could simply flee the scene with everyone else asleep, Lexie knew it would be wise to at least take one of the major threats out of the Games. She was still fighting for her life too and eliminating one Career meant one less of them to worry about.

Because it had poured rain earlier in the day, there were plenty of puddles to set the trap in. She quietly placed wires in five different puddles. A power switch she assembled was set at the highest voltage and all she needed to do was flip it on. The tougher challenge was luring one of the Careers into her trap. They were all smart, but she was smarter. She decided to go for whoever was the most gullible, which wasn't easy either, yet she knew who to target.

Lexie tip toed towards the Careers and gently tapped one of them on the shoulder. "Mark," she whispered. She stumbled back when Mark suddenly sat up aiming his spear at her.

"What?" he mumbled.

"I think I heard somebody outside. Can you check it out?"

"Do it yourself," Mark softly groaned, lying back down on his sleeping bag.

She bit down on her bottom lip knowing her plan was slowly backfiring. "Umm… I think it's that Jackson guy," she added. "Didn't you say you wanted to kill him? I'm… I'm pretty sure it was him. I saw a silhouette and it was of a tall person."

The older boy sat up again and was wide awake now. "Avery's out there?" Mark pushed himself up onto his feet, not bothering to wear his shoes as he followed Lexie outside with his spear in his hands. "Where'd you see him?"

Leading him around the corner, she pointed at the direction ahead of her. "Back there. Maybe behind the cornucopia."

"Alright. Stay in front, so you can wake up the others in case I need backup," he instructed, slowly walking along the side of the cornucopia prepared to fight.

Lexie walked backwards towards her crate while keeping an eye on Mark. As he inched closer to one of her traps, she picked up the power switch and turned it on. Just a few more steps and the District 1 tribute would be in the puddle. Her heart pounded, anxious to see if her plan would work. If it didn't, her second plan was to make a run for it towards the forest, but she knew he would be fast enough to find her and possibly kill her.

A little bit closer and…

Mark walked into the puddle, dropping his spear as his body convulsed due to the electric current running through his body. In a matter of seconds, his body collapsed onto the ground. Lexie dropped the power switch and immediately ran towards the dark forest as the sound of a cannon went off.

The cannon woke up the other three Careers instantly. All of them clutched their weapons in their hands as they rushed out of the Cornucopia.

"Where's Mark?" Callie asked, scanning their surroundings. "Lexie is missing too."

Cristina inhaled sharply. "I swear to God, if Sloan killed Three before we're supposed to dump her-" She paused when she spotted their friend's dead body beside the cornucopia. "That little bitch!"

The threesome ran towards Mark and came to a halt before they could step into the puddle. The smoke coming from his body and the grotesque smell that accompanied it let them know what had just happened. Owen pointed out the wires trailing from the puddle.

"She electrocuted him," he noted, furrowing his brow.

Callie tightened her grip on her sword. She and Lexie had a deal – or so she thought. Instead, she betrayed her and killed her district teammate instead. "That girl is dead."

* * *

**Hmm... will Lexie find new allies? Will April forgive Jackson? ;) Let me know what you think please!**


	9. The Fighter

**Thank you for the reviews! We're getting close to the conclusion of the Games, but the story is far from over :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Struggling to fall asleep due to his injuries, Jackson gingerly moved around in his sleeping bag trying to find a comfortable position that didn't make his body ache or his head throb. It also bothered him that April refused to sleep next to him. She had the blanket wrapped around herself as she sat by the entrance of the cave. Her anger towards him remained after he openly confessed his true feelings for her. While she believed he genuinely loved her, she hadn't expected him to be in love with her since they were children.

It was the many missed opportunities over the years that upset her the most. The pretty boy was always deemed confident and courageous by their peers, so why was it so difficult for him to treat her with kindness and respect?

Being told it was to avoid his brothers' teasing felt insulting. Jackson implied he was embarrassed to have feelings for a girl like April. The girls he socialized with were flirts. They loved showing off their midsections and legs to guys like him and he didn't mind. She almost wanted to kill him herself for lying to her all this time.

But she fell in love with him and that small part of her couldn't bring herself to doing that to him. However, he deserved the silent treatment until she was ready to forgive him.

"April," Jackson groaned, slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position. "April, sleep over here. You shouldn't be so close to the outdoors."

"Why?" she muttered, her head facing the opening of the cave.

He quickly shrugged. "I don't know. A bear could pass by and see you?"

"Well, if a bear comes, it's probably because we invaded its home," April irritably replied, wrapping her blanket tighter around her body. She hated to admit it, but the temperature dropped drastically after sunset. Her compression top and bottom were inside of the cave, so she lacked the warmer layers. "I'm fine where I am."

Jackson frowned. "How long are you going to be mad at me?" The redhead stayed silent forcing him to stand up and approach her. He grimaced, pressing his hand against the side of his head as he sat down in front of April. She avoided eye contact with him, so he continued staring at her hoping she would eventually look at him. "I'm sorry I never told you all of that before."

She sighed, looking down at her knees. "You should've told me this at home."

He nodded in agreement. "I know. I'm not the most open person and… being here in this arena forced me to finally say all of that stuff. Holding that in was selfish of me. You deserved to know earlier. You know, before any of this was a possibility for the both of us."

There were plenty of questions April wanted to ask Jackson, specifically about why he waited until they were in the Hunger Games to admit his feelings for her. Unfortunately, doing that would reveal to everyone that their tragic love story was a sham and it was only until they were in the arena did she realize she loved him. And by the time she would be able to interrogate him, one of them wouldn't be around for that opportunity.

Although, she did have an idea why he would make his feelings known now. Either one or both of them could be dead soon. Better late than never – but knowing the truth hurt more than not knowing at all. They could have spent most of their teenage years dating, enjoying each other's company, maybe even planning a future together. None of that mattered anymore, though.

"You're right. You _are_ selfish," she softly said, turning her head away from him again. "Why?"

"What do you mean why?"

April sighed in frustration. "Your feelings for me have been there since we were four years old. Why? What is it about me that attracted you? I mean, I didn't grow up to become like those pretty girls you and your friends sat with during lunch at school all the time. Why did you wait until… we were sixteen?"

"I was a boy discovering girls. You were the first girl who I thought was really cute and I never stopped thinking you're beautiful," Jackson admitted. "Your kindness and selflessness drew me to you. I know you weren't always nice to me, but I didn't deserve your kindness for obvious reasons. I don't know how to explain it without sounding like a coward. I guess that's what I was."

"I guess so," she half-heartedly concurred.

He frowned knowing he barely relieved the anger she felt towards him. "April-"

A noise from outside alerted both of them. April grabbed her axe, while Jackson pushed himself up onto his feet as he inched towards the entrance of the cave. Somebody was nearby as they heard footsteps coming from a specific direction. Despite the fact he wasn't in the best shape to fight anyone, he was prepared to fend off whoever might have possibly found them.

A shadow figure appeared, but they soon realized it wasn't any of the Careers. It was Lexie.

"Umm… p-please don't kill me," the District 3 tribute timidly stated. She stood behind the bushes partially covering the entrance, clutching her left arm. "I… I think I fell down when I was running."

April crawled towards the entrance before standing up and examining Lexie's arm. She could barely see her injury, but she noticed blood on her hand. "Come inside. I can take care of that for you," she politely replied, ushering her into the cave. The redhead brought her to their first aid kit and turned on the lantern. "Where did you come from?"

"The cornucopia. The Careers were holding me captive there, but I got away," she explained. "I killed Mark from District 1."

"Wow, that explains the cannon that woke me up," April answered with raised eyebrows. She helped Lexie remove her jacket and found a large cut on her left arm. "You've got a nasty cut, but we have something to help heal that faster. So you fell?"

Lexie quickly nodded. "It's dark out there. I had no idea where I was running, but I needed to get as far away as possible from the others. They're gunning for me now because I killed one of their allies," she fearfully said, briefly wincing as April rubbed cream on her wound. "Thank you for helping me."

"You're welcome. Do want some water or some fruit?" the District 4 tribute offered. "Or have both. You look like you haven't eaten much. I'm sure the Careers weren't treating you very well."

"I could use some sleep too." The brunette rubbed her eyes and yawned. It was the first time she felt secure around another tribute in the arena, but she wasn't quite sure if they were willing to let her stay. "Umm, you don't mind me being here? I didn't mean to find your hiding place."

"Don't worry about it. You're safe here," April assured her, handing her water and a banana.

Jackson watched the two girls interact with each other from his sleeping bag. Lexie's young age reminded him of April's youngest sister, Alice. She had always been good at taking care of her sisters, especially when Libby participated in the Games. That nurturing side of her was another reason why he loved her. She would have been the perfect mother, he thought.

Well, she could still be one – just maybe not with him.

* * *

Deep in the opposite side of the arena, the tributes from District 12 remained hidden high up in a tree located in the tropical area – also the most dangerous environment. Since the beginning of the Games, they had been trapped in the labyrinth of jungle filled with poisonous animals and man-eating plants. Their safest hideout was in a tree where their only threats were themselves.

Jo slapped a gumdrop out of Alex's hand after she noticed her teammate trying to eat one. "How many times do I have to tell you to quit eating those?!" she scolded him. They each had experienced the negative side effects of the colorful, yet hypnotic jellies found on various tree barks. However, her partner hadn't learned his lesson after the first three times. "I feel like I'm babysitting a 5-year old."

"I'm freakin' starving!" he retorted, scowling at the brunette. "Dude, there's nothing to eat and we sure as hell aren't getting any help from sponsors. Nobody's bothered to send us crap."

"We have to get out of this place," Jo declared. "We're sitting ducks here. There are only nine of us left. I doubt anybody expected us to make it this far, so let's make a move and get the hell out of this jungle."

"And go where? We have no idea where everybody is," Alex irritably replied. "We could jump out of this tree and one of them could be waiting for us. Those Careers won't hesitate to kill us. We don't have weapons. We're defenseless."

She folded her arms, rolling her eyes. "Alex, you spent all your life kicking people's asses on the playground at home! Are you seriously scared of a few Careers? Someone out there killed Mark Sloan! He was supposed to be one of the last ones standing. I'm tired of sitting around doing nothing. We're tired and hungry, but we're still in this."

He furrowed his brow and sighed. "Fine, but if you get killed, that's not my fault."

"At least you can't yell at me if _you_ die first," Jo sarcastically said before she started climbing down the tree. "How about you at least try to win the Games if you want out of here so badly?"

"In some ways, even this stupid jungle is better than the life we have in District 12," Alex grumbled, following her down the tree. "I can't get in trouble for once for stealing."

Both Alex and Jo lived in the poorest area of District 12, known as the Seam. The houses were old, worn down and lacked the amenities provided to them in the Capitol. Nothing about their district screamed luxury like the Capitol and District 1. Their people had to work hard for everything – food, shelter, etc. Nothing was ever gift wrapped and handed to them.

Alex's father worked in the coal mines, though he wasn't sure how often he actually reported to work. His old man was notoriously known as the town drunk. In order for his family to keep their house, Alex was forced to take shifts in the mines as well at eighteen years old. In many ways, his life wasn't as bad as Jo's, who didn't really have a permanent home to begin with.

At sixteen years old, Jo lost her family at a young age. Her parents fled District 12 shortly after she was born and were never heard from again. She grew up as a scavenger, searching for any scraps of food she could find to survive. It wasn't until she was twelve did she experience living in a house. Her schoolteacher took her in and agreed to let her stay until she reached the age of eighteen.

Once they reached ground level, Alex scanned their surroundings for any suspicious activity. It was too dark to see anything. Most of the trees towering over them covered the nightly sky. "We're just gonna have to wing it and pray nothing comes at us," he muttered, waving his arm at Jo to follow him.

"Do you think we're going the right way?" she asked concerned.

He quickly shrugged. "No freakin' clue, but you wanted out of here, remember? No turning back now."

* * *

The next morning, a cool breeze woke up Jackson from his sleep. He managed to get much needed rest after falling asleep beside April. They had given Lexie the sleeping bag for the night, forcing them to share the blanket together. She wasn't particularly fond of the idea since she remained upset with him, but she knew she couldn't avoid him too long. The Capitol citizens were watching them closely. They wanted their romance, so she tried to be a team player by cozying up against the pretty boy's side while they slept.

Jackson opened his eyes, blinking a couple of times before he slowly turned to look at April. She was curled up in a fetal position and sleeping soundly. He carefully moved away from her hoping not to wake her up, then he stood up and stretched his arms over his head. His head felt less sore and the pain from his chest subsided. The light coming from the entrance of the cave appeared brighter as he walked towards it. Something looked very different outside and the breeze coming in was colder than usual. When he reached the entrance his eyes widened at the sight of snow.

The ground was covered with at least a foot of snow, maybe even two feet. Sometime overnight, the Gamemakers decided it was time for a climate change. Stepping outside, he realized the entire forest was now a winter wonderland. The trees were barely green and everywhere Jackson looked, it was white. He rubbed his arms with his hands as his bare torso collided with the cold air. It never snowed in District 4, so this was very new to him.

He ran back into the cave as he tried to stop himself from shivering. His footsteps startled April, who suddenly sat up almost in a panic. "It's just me," he whispered, which seemed to relax her. "It snowed last night."

"What?" the redhead softly spoke, rubbing her eyes.

"Go see for yourself," Jackson instructed, sitting down beside her and pulling the blanket away from her. She glared at him as he wrapped it around his body. "I'm not kidding."

April stood up, picking up her jacket along the way towards the entrance. She peeked her head outside and grabbed some snow from the shrub in front of her. Like Jackson, it was her first time experiencing snow. Walking towards him, she caught him off-guard when she threw a snowball at him, hitting his chest.

"Hey!" he yelped, covering his mouth after Lexie stirred in her sleep. He let out a sigh of relief when she didn't wake up, then he whispered. "What was that for?"

"For last night, I guess," she casually replied, sitting beside him. April unwrapped the gauze from her right leg to check her wound. She raised both eyebrows at her healing wound. The cut had closed up and it was almost just a scar. "Wow, that stuff works fast."

Jackson removed the gauze from his chest and glanced down at his own wound. "Mine's looking better too," he happily added. He hurriedly unwound the gauze around his head, then he showed his other injury to April. "How does that one look?"

She brushed her fingertips against the dry gash on the side of his head. "Did that hurt?" He shook his head in response. "How's your head?"

"Aches a little. Maybe it's a concussion or something, but it's better than yesterday," he answered, then he smirked at her. "A kiss might cure it, you know."

"I'm not putting my lips on your nasty wound," April scoffed. She playfully rolled her eyes after Jackson tapped his own lips with his finger. "Is that your answer to solving everything? A kiss?"

"Not everything," he chuckled. "Only sometimes."

While she had been extremely upset with Jackson the previous night, April found it difficult to stay mad at him for a prolonged period of time. It wasn't because of his handsome face and pretty smile softening her up. She loved him too much to hate him even a little now. "You think you can get away with acting innocent and adorable, huh?" she teasingly replied.

He proudly grinned. "I like to think it's a major part of my character."

She gently grasped his face and kissed his lips. "The cocky side of you is not as flattering."

"Not even a little bit?"

"Humble Jackson is sexier," April seductively answered, her hands lightly rubbing his pecs.

Jackson smiled, cupping her cheeks as he stared into her eyes. "I'd marry you right now if I could." He watched her sadly smile back at him, then he leaned forward for another kiss.

They were interrupted by Lexie, who had woken up and cleared her throat at the sight of the couple together. "Good morning," she greeted them, fighting back a laugh. "I'm not intruding, am I?"

"No. No, we were just talking," April sheepishly replied.

"You didn't look like you were talking," the District 3 tribute said and snickered. "I'm only thirteen, but I wasn't born yesterday. It's okay, though, since you two are in looove."

"How about I see how your injury is healing?" she asked, changing the subject. April moved over to Lexie and checked the cut on her arm. The bleeding had stopped, but it was still fresh and in need of more attention. She retrieved the medicinal cream and applied more of it onto the wound. "That should be completely healed by tonight."

Lexie smiled. "Thank you again for helping me. I'm not sure anyone else would've done the same thing."

"So you killed Mark?" Jackson inquired. "How'd you do it?"

"I electrocuted him." She laughed at the surprised expressions on the District 4 tributes' faces. "The people back at home consider me to be a genius. I memorized how to assemble devices and stuff because I have a photographic memory."

"Well, you're pretty lucky you got away from them alive," he acknowledged. "That was brave of you."

A loud voice coming from outside caught their attention. It belonged to Sydney Heron, who was making an announcement for all of the remaining tributes. The threesome stood by the entrance of the cave to hear her more clearly.

_"Good morning, tributes. Located behind the tail of the cornucopia is a cabin. Waiting for you inside is something all of you will want to have in order to continue surviving. Only one of you can claim this valuable gift. First come, first serve. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor."_

"What do you think it is?" Lexie questioned after the announcement ended.

"Food? Better weapons? A ticket out of the arena?" April asked eagerly, though she knew she was being too hopeful with the last suggestion. She looked at Jackson, who appeared to be lost in thought. "Maybe we should go."

Jackson waved his hand, shaking his head. "No way. It's too dangerous. Besides, that cabin is located where those mountains are. I bet nobody's been there, so they're trying to bait us in order to make things exciting for the viewers," he speculated. "It has to be a trap. Even if it's not, we could possibly be facing the Careers or something we haven't seen yet. I heard a wolf on the first night. Wolves could be hiding there."

"But we're almost out of food and water. What if that's what's at stake?"

"We have sponsors, April."

"Yeah, but they can still choose not to help us. Maybe… maybe they enforced a rule that nobody can receive gifts from sponsors until a bunch of us go to that cabin and fight for whatever is inside," she suggested.

He pointed outside. "Then let those other tributes fight for it and kill each other."

"If you don't want to go, then I'll go myself," April determinedly replied.

"No way! It's practically suicide!" Jackson argued. "You've been telling me not to leave you alone, so it's my turn to tell you the same thing. I can't handle another near death experience with you. We're safer staying here. All three of us."

The redhead followed her boyfriend back into the cave. "Jackson, we're not cowards. Finn told me this during the train ride to the Capitol. We don't hide. We fight," she reminded him. "And I want to show him and Libby that I _can_ fight. I'm not a weak, useless girl that people at home perceive me to be."

"You're not going anywhere," he stubbornly answered, sitting down on top of the blanket. "And that's final."

"Fine, fine. Whatever," she mumbled. April knelt down in front of Jackson before throwing a right hook into the side of his head. He fell back, while she winced and frantically waved her hand to ease the pain away. Her punch had been strong enough to knock him unconscious. "Oww, oww, oww!"

Lexie rushed towards the pair and grinned widely. "Whoa! That was _so_ cool!" she excitedly said. "He's knocked out cold."

April grimaced as she slowly opened and closed her hand. She checked Jackson's pulse to assure herself that she hadn't accidentally killed him, then she softly kissed his lips. "I'm so sorry, but it was for your own good," she whispered. She covered his body with the sleeping bag before she turned and faced Lexie. "Get ready for a long a hike."

* * *

Trudging through the thick snow, April and Lexie walked side by side heading towards the mountain area behind the cornucopia. They both wore every piece of clothing given to them for warmth. The compression top and bottom were finally coming in handy. Neither were used to snow or cold weather to begin with. Prior to leaving, they covered the cave's opening with piles of snow, leaving an opening in the corner for Jackson to continue breathing without losing his oxygen supply.

April was fully aware that what she decided to do was risky, dangerous and stupid. Somewhere in the Capitol, Libby was likely having an anxiety attack over her younger sister choosing to risk her life for an unknown prize that might be nothing but a trap. Maybe even a set up for a mini bloodbath. With nine tributes left in the arena, the action was beginning to die down, which meant the Gamemakers needed to create a plan to keep the excitement level high.

All she had were the clothes on her back, an axe in her hand and Lexie as her faithful sidekick. A part of her wasn't sure why she brought the District 3 tribute along with her. She seemed harmless enough to leave her with Jackson, but at the same time, she couldn't completely trust the brunette to keep him alive. She killed Mark Sloan after all.

But Lexie seemed innocent and might have done what she did as an act of self-defense. April had done the same thing to protect Jackson when Matthew attacked him. The entire Games was all about protecting themselves. Both of them did what they needed to do to survive.

"Do you think your boyfriend will be alright in there?" Lexie curiously asked.

"Umm… I hope so," the redhead reluctantly answered. "He'll forgive me when we're back."

The younger tribute pulled her hood over her head, then she rubbed her hands together. "I've never had a boyfriend. I guess I never will now," she murmured. "But you, you're the closest to having an older sister. Do you like being an older sister?"

April smiled as she thought about Kimmie and Alice in District 4. "Yes. I mean, occasionally my sisters will drive me insane on purpose, but I love taking care of them. My mother's dead, so Libby and I took the responsibilities of helping our dad raise them."

"You have a lot more going for you than I do."

"Why do you say that?" she asked, slightly furrowing her brow.

Lexie softly chuckled. "You don't see it? A really hot boyfriend, the Capitol citizens rooting for you two, the fact that you're still alive…" She smirked at April. "I bet if you died, there would be an outcry."

"Oh, please. You know that wouldn't happen," she scoffed. "It's common knowledge who the Capitol roots for and it's not any of us outside of District 1 and 2. They just want to see a love story that they know won't end on a happy note because it's for their entertainment. We're worried about our lives, while they're worried about how long the love story between Jackson and I will last."

The brunette simply shrugged. "If you say so."

The twosome continued their trek to the mountains while trying to keep a low profile, but the white snow prevented them from any attempts of camouflage. Perhaps that was the point of the weather change, April thought. Her dark green jacket blended in with the forest, but stood out like a sore thumb in the snow. Lexie's situation wasn't any better as she wore a mustard colored jacket.

The hike felt like an eternity. No compass to work with to determine if they were headed towards the right direction. They heavily relied on Lexie's gut instinct and a little of her photographic memory. She tried to remember which direction she came from, but running through the woods in the middle of the night didn't provide much luck.

"There's the cornucopia," the District 3 pointed out. The cornucopia stood a hundred yards away from where they were. "We should keep some space between us and over there in case the Careers are lurking around."

Walking to the mountains took another ten minutes before they reached the area. Hiding behind a large boulder, April and Lexie scanned their surroundings. A single trail led to a brown cabin, which sat a quarter way up the mountain. April suddenly felt discouraged because the time it took for them to arrive had to have been longer than the travel time for the Careers. However, showing up and not even trying to see if the mystery gift was still inside of the cabin would have made the whole trip pointless.

"So, umm… do you want to wait for me here?" she asked the thirteen-year old. "I could just… run up there really quick and see if the gift is still there."

"No, I'll back you up. I'll be your extra set of eyes," Lexie insisted.

After doing one more quick scan, April stood up and nodded her head towards the cabin. Nobody else was in sight, so she and Lexie made a mad dash up the trail. She tightened her grip on her axe, fully prepared for a surprise attack. When they reached the top they were both winded. The altitude in the area was much different than in the forest.

Trying to catch her breath, April glanced over at the cabin. It was about twenty yards away and still nobody else was there to meet them. "C'mon," she whispered, approaching the cabin with her ally trailing behind. Standing in front of the door, she looked back at Lexie. "Keep watch for me, okay?"

She slowly pushed the door open, axe raised in front of her chest. Inside of the cabin was a single wooden table with a black drawstring bag sitting on top of it. Maybe nobody had bothered to claim the prize after all, she thought. She rushed towards the table, grabbing the bag and opening it.

Body armor and night vision goggles, some of the most expensive gifts a tribute could receive in the arena made April's eyes grow wide. Jackson couldn't stay mad at her if she brought him equipment that protected half of his body.

"I got it, Lexie," she excitedly said and turned around. "Let's g-"

April dropped the bag when she spotted Callie holding Lexie with one arm. The District 1 tribute dug her sword into the young girl's back and devilishly grinned at the redhead. "She kills my teammate, so I kill her," she said through gritted teeth. The Latina woman yanked her sword out of Lexie's body and tossed her aside. "I believe that's _my_ bag. You stupid girl. Did you honestly think nobody cared to come up here?"

It was a trap. The Careers had gotten to the cabin first and were waiting for _her_. So much rage quickly built inside of April that she charged towards Callie, launching herself at the tribute. The force threw them backwards as they wrestled on the snow. Callie kicked April off of her and picked up her sword. Before she could jam her weapon into the District 4 tribute's chest, she rolled away at the right moment.

"Where's your boyfriend, huh?" Callie taunted after April stood up. "Not man enough to show his face?"

"He… he's doing just fine without me," she stated, scowling back at her. "You don't intimidate me."

"Alright, fine. Pick up your axe and let's see how well you can protect yourself," the dark haired woman instructed. However, April remained skeptical, so she pointed her sword at the axe. "Go ahead. Do you want me to get it for you?"

April took a step back, crouching down to pick up her axe from the snow. Holding it in front of her chest, she furrowed her brow at Callie. "Okay. I'm ready to fight." She watched her foe smirk back at her, making her incredibly curious. "What?"

Callie chuckled as she lowered her sword against her side. "You really are a stupid girl."

Her eyes darted towards a familiar face creeping from behind the corner of the cabin. Meredith was mouthing at her to duck. April spun around only to collapse onto her back in time as one of Cristina's throwing knives flew past her. The knife that would have stabbed her from behind had lodged itself into Callie's chest. The District 1 tribute looked down at the knife as blood slowly spilled out from her body.

"Bitch," she groaned before keeling over onto the snow.

April turned her head towards Cristina, who emerged from behind some trees. The Asian woman stared at Callie's dead body as a cannon fired. "Well… shit," she nonchalantly said to herself, then she shrugged. "That's one less person to deal with."

Scrambling to stand up, April gripped her axe with both hands and aimed it at Cristina. "You thought you could kill me before, but I'm still standing. You don't intimidate me either."

Cristina threw her head back and cackled. "My aim is much better than Hunt's. Consider yourself lucky because I would have hit the target on your back easily," she arrogantly replied. Pulling another knife from her holster, she lightly tossed it back and forth in her hands. "I wish Pretty Boy was here to see you die."

Sneaking up on the District 2 tribute was Meredith. She carried a spear in her hand hoping to end Cristina's life herself. Unfortunately, the latter sensed her presence and performed a backhanded throw, nailing the District 5 tribute in the chest as well and killing her instantly. The distraction gave April a chance to charge towards her empty-handed enemy. She raised her axe over her head, but Cristina was fast enough to turn her attention back to her and block her swing.

"You seriously think you're better than me?" the vicious woman retorted, kneeing the redhead in the stomach. She pushed April onto her back and straddled her chest. Cristina grinned while she wrapped her hands around April's neck. "Face it, Kepner. You were never going to win this anyway."

April's fingers grazed the handle of her axe. She could almost grab it, but Cristina's hands also squeezed her neck tighter. Her eyes watered and her breathing was becoming shorter and shorter. This time, her luck might have finally run out.

"I hope your sister's enjoying the show. When I win I'll make sure to give her a big hug for you," Cristina teasingly said as she watched April gasp for air.

Trying her hardest to stay awake, April continued to reach for her axe. She managed to wrap her fingers around the handle and she used all of the power left inside of her to swing it at Cristina. The blade cut into her neck causing her to release the redhead's neck to grab her own. Blood spilled through her fingers and onto April's face. She let out a sigh of relief, gasping for air as the Asian woman climbed off of her and attempted to crawl away.

Pushing herself up onto her feet, the District 4 tribute stomped through the snow and followed Cristina. She raised the axe over her head and swung it into her back. Falling down onto her knees, April continuously hacked at her body even after she perished and the cannon confirmed her death. She screamed out loud as she unleashed her frustrations on the dead tribute. Blood splattered all over the snow and on the front of her clothes. Her face was also covered with blood and she finally stopped when she noticed bystanders off the corner of her eye.

Jo and Alex stood by the end of the trail staring at a fuming April. She narrowed her eyes at them as she breathed heavily. "Uhh…" the brunette from District 12 raised her hands in front of her chest when the blood drenched tribute pulled her axe out of Cristina's back. "Ya know, we'll just go ahead and leave… like _now._"

April watched the two teammates turn around and run away from the scene. She used her sleeve to wipe blood from her forehead, but she ended up spreading it across her face instead. Looking down at her hands, they were both red and dripping blood. The scene was dead silent. The bodies all over the place stained the white snow red. None of it fully hit her until she realized she was the only person standing on that mountain. She turned to retrieve the drawstring bag from the cabin. On her way there, she heard a faint voice call out her name. Lying beside the cabin was Lexie, who was surprisingly still alive.

"Oh my God," the eighteen-year old gasped, rushing towards her and kneeling down next to her body. "I thought you were dead."

Lexie forced herself to laugh. "Not yet, but… I can't feel my legs." She sadly smiled up at April. "I just… wanted to say, what you did right now… it was… badass."

Tears formed in April's eyes as she held Lexie's body against her lap. "I'm really sorry. This is my fault. I- I brought you into this trap. You didn't deserve what happened to you," she sobbed. "You're a good person."

"And you're a good person too. You're… you're better than… everyone here." The District 3 tribute coughed up blood as she wheezed for air. She reached for April's hand and grasped it. "Win, okay? Win it all."

"I'll- I'll try my best," she stammered, clearing her throat as tears streamed down her face.

April listened to Lexie take her last breath and lowered her head, crying harder when the cannon fired. The guilt became unbearable. She let a girl who was only a year older than her youngest sister die in front of her. Burying her face into her hands, she struggled to control her tears. She couldn't care less that she was smearing someone else's blood on her face.

After a few minutes of grieving, she forced herself to stand up. April reentered the cabin, taking the drawstring bag and lazily wearing it over her shoulders. She remembered that Owen was lurking around in the arena and returning to Jackson was crucial. As exhausted as she was, she used all of the energy she had left to run down the mountain and back into the forest. She found hers and Lexie's footprints in the snow and ran as hard as she could back to the cave. Her body felt heavy, tripping and falling down occasionally, but she refused to take a break.

When she arrived at the cave she used her body to break down the wall she and Lexie had built, collapsing face first inside. Her arrival alerted Jackson, who had woken up earlier and heard the multiple cannons fire.

"April!" he yelled, angrily sitting up as she limped towards him. "I thought you were dead! What the hell is the matter with you, going out there like that?! You could've killed yourself!"

April removed the drawstring bag and dropped it by her feet. She appeared dazed as she fell down a couple of feet away from her district partner. Her eyes stared at the ground and she was unresponsive to anything Jackson said.

He crawled towards her, only finally noticing her face and clothes stained with blood. "Shit, what happened out there?" The pretty boy frowned when she broke down crying. He wrapped his arms around her, smoothly rubbing her back. Lexie was missing and he connected the dots. He had no idea who else had died, but that wasn't important to him at the moment. "April, talk to me."

She shook her head and rested her head against his shoulder. Jackson knew not everyone could handle the brutality of the Games. Some tributes went crazy and never fully recovered. He couldn't let that happen to his girlfriend.

Lifting her head, he cupped her cheeks. "April, look at me," he calmly ordered. She glanced up at him and he slightly smiled. "You're okay. You're safe now. Nobody's going to hurt you. Stay with me, alright? Don't let whatever happened out there destroy you psychologically. I love you. You're fine."

April barely nodded her head, but that was enough for Jackson to know she understood him. Her body trembled due to the cold weather and the gruesome scene she had been a part of. He embraced her once more, whispering anything encouraging into her ear to comfort her. It was all he could do until she was ready to talk again.

* * *

**Send me your thoughts please :) Up next: the last day of the Games**


	10. The Victor

**Thank you for the reviews! The amount of support for this story has been awesome :) This chapter kind of has a cliffhanger feeling, so you've been warned lol.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Viewing the Games from inside of the District 4 apartment, Libby stared at the TV screen with her hand covering her mouth as she watched a replay of Cristina's horrific death. She cringed when they opted to slow down the video for dramatic effect. The blood splattering all over April and the furious expression on her sister's face as she continuously hacked at the District 2 tribute's dead body scared the crap out of her. She had never seen her so sadistic in her entire life.

"She looks possessed," the eldest Kepner muttered. "That's not April."

Finn stroked his chin and sighed. "It was either kill or be killed. She did her job."

Arizona turned her head away after she sipped her martini. "Oh my, I think I'm going to be sick," she said, shaking her head in disgust. "Be grateful she didn't end up like that tribute from many years ago who turned into a cannibal."

"I just never thought she had it in her to do… _that_," Libby admitted.

"Perhaps you should have put more faith into your sister," Addison replied with a smirk. "It's always the quiet ones who surprise us the most. April is no different."

* * *

For the rest of the day, Jackson devoted all of his time and energy on taking care of April. Since she returned from her unforgettable trip, she hadn't spoken a word and suffered from shock. He had carefully removed her jacket and pants before cleaning the blood from her hands and face with the leftover water they had. After helping her into the sleeping bag to warm up her body, he used snow from just outside of the cave to wash the blood from her clothes.

By nighttime, she had fallen asleep while he stayed awake to keep an eye on her. Jackson watched the love of his life sleep, wondering what could have driven her to stop talking altogether. She whimpered in her sleep, but she didn't wake up. Whatever happened on the mountains had clearly shaken her up.

Panem's anthem started to play outside, signaling the end of the day and displaying the latest casualties. The pretty boy stood by the cave's entrance and watched the list appear in the fake sky. Callie and Cristina caused him to raise his eyebrows. He frowned at Lexie's portrait and sighed when Meredith was last. Five of them were left. The Hunger Games was almost finished. It could take a day or two to declare the victor.

And he wanted to make sure the victor came from District 4.

Jackson returned to April and was surprised to find her awake. She glanced up at him as he sat down beside her. "Hey, everything okay? I was just checking to see who died," he said, brushing aside strands of her hair from her forehead. The redhead remained silent when she opened the sleeping bag and patted the space next to her. He climbed inside and she immediately rested her head against his chest. "I wish you would talk to me."

"I… I almost drowned," she softly replied.

"Earlier?" he asked, scrunching his face in confusion.

"No. When I was four. My father took Libby and I out to sea on his vessel for the first time. I remember he also taught us how to create nets that day," April recalled. "We were taking a break and Libby and I were standing by the edge. I was too short to see over it, so I stepped onto this stool nearby. I leaned forward too much and fell in. I could hear Libby screaming, but I think my dad couldn't hear her over the machinery he was using in the lower level. Next thing I know, I'm sinking farther and farther down. My father got to me just in time. I've had a fear of deep waters ever since."

He pressed his lips against her forehead. "And that's why you can't swim?"

She slowly nodded. "I never wanted to try after that incident. Even though my parents pushed me to learn how to swim, I would freak out anytime my father brought me to a swimming class. I always made sure to wear a life vest whenever I joined him on his vessel."

"And you wanted to captain your own vessel without knowing how to swim," he noted with a chuckle.

"I enjoyed being out at sea – as long as I didn't end up in the water," she murmured. "But I always felt safe with my father. For whatever reason, I never thought we were in danger. That's how much I trusted him. Not once did I think anything bad would happen to us. Not knowing how to swim makes me look pretty stupid now, huh?"

Jackson smiled, shaking his head. "You're not stupid. You're brave." He pointed at himself. "If I couldn't swim, I wouldn't go anywhere near a boat. I'd prefer to stay on dry land where I know I can't drown."

April closed her eyes as she rubbed her hand against her boyfriend's abdomen. "I feel safe with you too, Jackson."

Wrapping his arm over her waist, he slightly smiled. He wished they could magically teleport back to District 4 where they would be safe and sound together. They could relax on the beach holding each other, go home together without worrying about somebody sneaking up on them and killing them. They could sleep through the night peacefully. The life they _should_ have had.

"Maybe we would be better off if we both didn't win," she suggested.

"You don't mean that," he skeptically replied, pushing himself up onto his elbow and looking down at her. "April, you have to go back home to your father and your sisters. They need you."

"And you don't need me?" April dejectedly answered and frowned. "If we both die, at least we would still be together in the afterlife or whatever the hell happens to us when we die."

"Of course I need you. I love you, but you know we both can't win this and I will always put you ahead of me," Jackson firmly stated, rubbing April's shoulder with his thumb. He watched her shake her head as her eyes swelled with tears. "I hate that we can't be together forever too, but you know it's complicated."

She sat up, throwing her arms up in frustration. "How am I supposed to continue living without you?! You- you make me fall in love with you only to just give up and sacrifice yourself to save me? I don't even want to live anymore after what happened out there on the mountains! I don't deserve to!"

He tried to pull her in for a hug, but she furiously pushed him away. "April-" The pretty boy groaned when she pushed him again. He finally grabbed a hold of her shoulders. "Will you stop?! I don't know what happened to you, but you need to stop talking like that!"

"I felt like a monster, Jackson! I-I let Lexie die because I was selfish in wanting that stupid gift," April angrily said, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. She placed her hands against her cheeks as she relived Cristina's death in her head. "And what I did to Cristina… how I kept hacking at her even after she was dead. I killed her, but I just wanted to keep on going and going until her body was nothing but mush. I'm a terrible person for wanting to do that."

Jackson's mouth partially dropped open. "You killed her?"

She nodded her head in response. "She… she was strangling me and I reached for the axe. Somehow, this adrenaline rush came over me and I got her in the neck. Then she tried to crawl away and I just went crazy on her. I really hope my sisters weren't watching because I'd be frightened of myself too."

"You're not a terrible person, April. C'mon, Yang took pleasure in killing people. _That's_ terrible."

"But… killing her felt _good_," the tearful redhead admitted. "I mean, I've never felt this way before. So… evil. I almost hate myself for that."

"That doesn't mean you deserve to die." He took her hands into his own, scooting closer to her. "Hardly anybody expected you to last this long in the arena. If anything, people are likely rooting for you to win. You've defied the odds so far and you've proven them wrong countless times. You're a winner in my book. You always were."

April cleared her throat. "But winning doesn't matter if you're not alive with me. You could win and move on to another woman because you're capable of meeting someone better, but I don't have the same kind of luxury with men."

"Someone better? That's bullshit," Jackson scoffed. "Nobody is better than you. I volunteered to protect you, okay? That's how much I love you. I wouldn't be able to trust any other guy to do the same for you."

"What good comes out of it, though? One of us has to die. I don't want you to die and you don't want me to die, so the best option is to die together," she insisted.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. The conversation was going in circles without a resolution. "You know what? Let's get some sleep and we'll talk about it again in the morning. You need your rest."

April quietly nodded, lying back down and pulling Jackson beside her. She laid her head against his shoulder, securely draping her arm over his abdomen. "Remember to wear the body armor," she whispered before closing her eyes.

The pretty boy softly sighed as he covered her smaller body with his muscular arms. "Will do."

* * *

The next morning, Finn and Libby were invited to have breakfast with Denny Duquette and Arizona. Neither mentors were sure what the meeting was about, but they hoped he wasn't pulling out of his sponsorship for District 4. The majority of the gifts sent to Jackson and April came from his money. They heavily relied on his services to keep their mentees alive. With only five tributes left in the arena, backing out now would be shocking given the rise in popularity for the doomed lovers.

They sat across from the Capitol citizens in one of their many fancy restaurants. Denny, dressed in a shimmering silver suit, showed off his fake, pearly whites as he smiled at the twosome. "Thank you for joining me this morning. I'm very impressed by how your tributes are performing thus far," he started, folding his hands on top of the table. "I'd like to talk to you about April."

"What about her?" Libby questioned curiously, raising an eyebrow at the older man.

"She's a fighter that one. Your sister is living up to her dark horse title," the blue haired man noted. "And she's an attractive young lady."

Libby slightly furrowed her brow. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Denny smugly smiled at the redhead. "Assuming April wins the Games, I would like to spend a night with her."

She lowered her head as she stared at him dumbfounded. "Excuse me? What do you mean by _spend a night with her_? No offense, sir, but my sister is eighteen years old and you're… older. Not to mention she's unavailable."

"For now anyway," he corrected her. "Jackson won't be around if April wins. If she wins, she will be the most sought out victor since… well, since _you_. She'll become the Capitol darling and as your current sponsor, I would like to be the first one in line."

"Oh, you did not just say that to m-"

Finn placed his hand on Libby's shoulder just as she attempted to stand up. If he didn't stop her, she would have pounced across the table and attacked their most important sponsor. "Because the unpredictability of the Games is complex, why don't we wait and see what happens first?" he suggested. "And hypothetically, if April wins the Games, she will be a very busy person immediately afterwards. Interviews, television appearances… no room for dating."

"Ah, yes. She'll be shooting commercials for her very own toothpaste at some point," Arizona added while she petted her fiery red hair. "No time to spread her pale legs for anybody for at least three months."

"Or _ever_," Libby irritably replied. "My sister is not that type of person nor will she ever be turned into _that_."

Denny snickered. "This is the Capitol, Ms. Kepner. You should know by now how we treat our victors," he insinuated, reaching across the table and patting the back of her hand. He winked at the annoyed mentor. "Two years of experience under your belt, don't act surprised."

Libby swallowed hard, inhaling sharply. "April is different. She's a better person than I am."

"How about I offer some charity?" he asked, removing his wallet from his back pocket. He pulled out a dozen colorful paper bills and showed them off to Finn and Libby. "Name your price and it's yours."

She pounded her fist against the table. "April is not for sale either!"

Finn raised his hand hoping to calm the situation. "Alright, enough. Like I said before, we don't know yet if April will win the Games. For all we know, she could choose to commit suicide today." Libby smacked his shoulder and glared at him. He cleared his throat before looking back at Denny. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet."

"Or I can pull out of my sponsorship for your tributes," Denny warned. "I see Owen Hunt is still alive in the arena. He could use an unbreakable suit of body armor. The man is lethal enough without much help. Your boy Avery – not so much."

"Are you trying to blackmail us?" Libby retorted.

Denny sipped his juice, then he mischievously grinned at her. "You may be the victors, but the Capitol can still control your fate," he reminded her. "Don't make me regret sponsoring your tributes, sweetheart. One night with your sister and that's all. The date can even occur in your district."

Finn extended his hand out to him. "It's a deal," he agreed, drawing another scowl from Libby. After shaking the other man's hand, he sighed. "But we're allowed to set ground rules, understand?"

"We'll see," he casually answered, stuffing his wallet back into his pocket. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to make a phone call."

Libby waited until Denny was out of earshot before she turned to face Finn. "Are you insane? You just practically pimped out my sister to him!" she whispered. "April doesn't deserve this. If she wins, I'm not going to be able to forgive myself for throwing her into the wolves."

He raised his finger in front of his lips, carefully eying Arizona, who was busy retouching her makeup. "Will you relax? Mr. Duquette won't lay a hand on her. I'll make sure of that," he promised. "And we can't lose our biggest sponsor at a crucial time like this. If you want April to survive, you gotta make some sacrifices. I don't like it as much as you do, but we're still playing a game here."

"Fine, but you better be serious about protecting her," she sternly replied, placing her elbows on top of the table and rubbing her temples. Her father would be extremely upset with this dilemma if he knew how the Capitol operated at the conclusion of the annual Hunger Games. She knew April would be devastated as well. "This sucks."

"No elbows on the table, dear. It's bad manners and poor form," Arizona scolded her.

Libby rolled her eyes. "Bite me. You look like a bloody Q-tip," she scoffed, causing the escort to gasp in disgust. She snapped her fingers at the waiter nearby. "I need a drink, please. One with a lot of alcohol."

* * *

Slowly waking up from his sleep, Jackson's eyelids fluttered as he lay across from April on his side. His arm had been holding her close throughout the night and they both managed to get much needed rest without any uninvited interruptions. He opened his eyes and stared at the woman in front of him. Their faces were inches apart as she continued to sleep.

Neither of them had showered in days and seeing each other at their worst only made their relationship stronger. He used his fingers to gently brush aside loose strands of her hair from her forehead. Her hair was a mess, yet he still thought she looked beautiful. He loved her face with makeup, but he loved it even more without it. She had always been a natural beauty, never needing makeup to look pretty. He lightly stroked her cheek with his thumb and sighed.

He wanted to spend every last second with her. She wasn't ready to let him go and vice versa.

Maybe dying together was the best option, Jackson thought. He couldn't imagine himself loving another woman more than he loved April. They were each other's first and only love. Moving on without the other felt unacceptable. He continued to watch her sleep until her eyes slowly opened.

"Morning," he softly greeted her with a smile.

April returned the smile as she reached for the pretty boy's face. "Good morning," she murmured, pressing her hand against Jackson's cheek. "How long have you been watching me?"

"Not very long. I just woke up myself," he answered, leaning in for a kiss. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mmhmm," she hummed, sitting up and stretching her arms over her head. "Best sleep I've had in a while. I even had a nice dream for once instead of the nightmares I kept having since I was reaped."

"Oh yeah?" he inquisitively replied, pushing himself up into an upright position. "What kind of dream did you have?"

April shyly ducked her head. "It's… it might be a little weird for you." She nervously chewed on her bottom lip as she fidgeted with the zipper of their sleeping bag. "Umm… we were back at home in District 4, married… with kids. Two boys, one girl. Our oldest boy looked just like you when we were young."

"Kids, huh?" Jackson pursed his lips as he gave himself time to process the idea of raising a family with April. They would have gorgeous children, he thought. His eyes, her smile. They would be great parents together. He would make up for the lack of time his own father spent with him. Thinking about it all made him even more bitter about being a part of the Games. "You'd be an awesome mother."

"Who knows?" she said, quickly shrugging her shoulders.

"No, I mean it. I saw how you took care of Lexie when she was injured. I've also seen you with your little sisters," he insisted, picking up her hand. "You can still become a mother, April."

She sadly smiled at him. "Jackson, I don't want to get into this again. I brought it up last night and we got nowhere with that. Can we just… enjoy our last moments together?"

He moved in to kiss her until they were greeted by the infamous chiming sound from above. The pretty boy stood up and approached the entrance of the cave. He noticed all of the snow had melted, likely done by the Gamemakers overnight. A new silver crate landed close by and he sprinted outside to retrieve it. He carried it into the cave, setting it down in between him and April.

"What is it?" she asked, picking up the note attached to their newest gift.

_Savor this gift from home – F & L_

Jackson opened the crate and inside were two plates covered with silver tops and a bottle of orange juice. He lifted one of the covers to reveal a meal containing food from District 4 – seaweed infused bread, cooked fish and oysters. "Well, I don't think we can complain about this," he gleefully said.

April licked her lips as she inhaled the aroma of home. Each of them grabbed a plate and started eating without hesitation. They shared the orange juice, barely speaking to each other while they indulged in what could possibly be their final meal in the arena. In a way, having breakfast sent to them courtesy of their district was like saying farewell to one or both of them. Like prisoners prepared for their impending execution, their last meal was always the best one. Neither of them wanted to think about that, though.

Opening one of his oysters with his knife, Jackson cracked a smile from the corner of his lips when he found a pearl inside. He sneakily picked it up with his thumb and index finger before casually standing up. "I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" She furrowed her brow in confusion when he left the cave without responding to her. "Jackson?"

The silence began to bother her. She thought both of them had learned their lessons about leaving the other partner behind. April set her plate down, picking up her axe as she slowly pushed herself up onto her feet. The lack of response from her boyfriend was nerve wracking. Her worries immediately disappeared when he returned with a smile on his face. She returned to her sitting position, raising her eyebrow at him.

"Close your eyes," he politely instructed with his hands hiding behind his back.

"Excuse me, but you just left me alone without saying a word and now you want me to close my eyes?" she retorted, folding her arms in front of her chest.

"Just do it, okay? I promise it's nothing terrible." Jackson waited for April to close her eyes, then he walked towards her and took a seat behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding up his hand in front of her chest. "Alright, you can open them."

The redhead opened her eyes to find a ring made out of thin twigs with the pearl tied to it. "It almost looks like an engagement ring," she answered with a chuckle.

He smirked as he slipped the homemade ring through her left ring finger. "Maybe it is. And you rejected the first pearl I had for you, so I hope you don't do the same with this one."

Holding up her hand in front of her face, she smiled as she admired the effort he put into making it look like a ring. "It's beautiful. I love it." She turned her head and kissed his lips, pressing her hand against the back of his head as she deepened the kiss. "And I love you."

"I love you too," he murmured against her lips. "Always."

* * *

Observing the arena from inside of the control room, Gamemaker Bailey's eyes scanned the multiple screens displaying the five remaining tributes. She paused at the District 4 couple, who were cuddling and sharing kisses inside of their cave. She scrunched her nose and sighed. "So romantic… yet so unbearable to watch," she muttered to herself.

One of the automatic sliding doors opened and President Webber entered the room. All of the Gamemakers greeted him as he approached their leader. "Good morning, Bailey. How is everything going today?"

"See for yourself," she politely answered, gesturing towards the giant screens. Bailey pointed out Alex and Jo, who were busy raiding the cornucopia. She then pointed at Owen, who was in the forest appearing lost and confused. "Hunt had been tracking Kepner's footprints in the snow last night, but he fell asleep before he could find her. I had one of our people melt the snow overnight to throw him off."

Webber chuckled, nodding in approval. "Excellent. How about District 4?"

"Oh, they're sucking face as usual," Bailey answered, rolling her eyes. "However, the more we show these two together the more the Capitol admires them. It's almost a shame their honeymoon phase is bound to end soon. Almost."

"And how do you plan on luring them out of that cave?"

"I will find a way. This arena is rigged with many utilities that one of my assistants can enforce. It's also time to bring these last five together for a final showdown."

The older man nodded in agreement. "Patience is beginning to wear thin with our citizens. They want a victor and now is the best time to determine who that will be," he insisted. He gently patted Bailey's lower back. "I have my entire trust in you that you will make it an unforgettable ending."

Bailey clapped her hands together, smiling brightly at the giant screens. "Oh, I will, sir. Believe me, this year's Games is already one of the most talked about in its history. I guarantee you we will have an epic conclusion to it as well."

* * *

"Find anything else?" Jo asked while she watched Alex rummage through the numerous crates inside of the cornucopia.

Because nobody was around to attack them, they decided to steal whatever they wanted. It was their first opportunity to grab anything they could carry since the start of the Games. They had been weaponless for the majority of their time in the arena. Finding an empty cornucopia felt like Christmas for them. They managed to retrieve spears, a small scythe and some throwing knives, along with fruit that hadn't spoiled yet. It was also the first real food they had eaten in days.

"I think we have everything we need," Alex declared, gathering his set of weapons. "So, uhh… do we just stay here or…?"

The brunette shrugged. Since their encounter with a raging April, they hadn't seen anybody else. "We could. I mean, if the Careers are almost all dead. We can take Owen together, right?" She smirked at her teammate. "You, you could just scowl at people and they run away scared."

"Shut up. That's just how my face looks sometimes."

Jo pursed her lips into a smile as she furrowed her brow at him. "Are you taking pride in having a pouty face or are you content with insulting yourself a lot?" she teased, drawling a scowl from Alex. "See! You just did it. I bet you're cute when you smile."

Alex shrugged off her comment and shook his head. "Whatever." He heard movement coming from the back of the cornucopia and slowly took a step forward. "Hello? Is somebody back there?"

After taking another step, a pair of red eyes glowed in the dark area of the cornucopia. Both District 12 tributes stumbled backwards as a black wolf emerged from the shadows. The muttation lowly growled at them as it revealed it's sharp teeth. They backed out of the cornucopia holding their weapons only to be met by a pack of other black wolves.

"Uhh, what are we gonna do?" Jo worriedly asked as the wolves inched closer towards them. She attempted to scare one of them with her spear, but they barely flinched. "If we don't make a run for it, they'll eat us alive!"

Alex threw a knife at one of the wolves, stabbing its side. It collapsed giving them room to run. "Let's go!"

They tried to run towards the jungle, but the pack quickly blocked their path. Forced to move back, they headed towards the forest. Sprinting as hard as they could, the wolves chased them until they passed the barrier of the forest area. It seemed strange that the wild animals suddenly stopped before crossing the imaginary line between the grassy field and the forest.

"Why aren't they following us?" Jo questioned with a puzzled expression on her face. "It's like they're afraid."

"Wimps," her partner scoffed, throwing a knife at one of the wolves. However, the knife bounced off of a force field and nearly stabbed Alex, who jumped away in time. "What the hell?!"

She stared at the barely visible force field confused. "Are we trapped in here?"

"Looks like it," he grumbled, picking up his knife from the ground. "Let's get outta here before they decide to send in the wolves."

While the District 12 tributes explored the forest for the first time, Jackson and April were finishing their breakfast when something peculiar caught their eye – the cave suddenly began to leak water inside. Water started spilling out from various crevices causing both of them to stand up and gather their belongings.

"What's happening?" April gasped, checking to ensure the entrance of the cave remained open. For a second, she thought her biggest fear of drowning was about to come true.

The pretty boy quickly wore his body armor before wearing the rest of his clothes. "I don't know, but it looks like it's a sign for us to leave. Must be Gamemaker Bailey doing this," he stated, stuffing the lantern and first aid kit into their sleeping bag before any of the water could reach it. "Get dressed, so we can go."

Rushing to put on her clothes, April noticed the water coming in faster than when it first started. She got her axe and the bag containing the night vision goggles before walking towards the entrance. "Ready, Jackson?" Her foot knocked over a silver case, spilling out the contents inside. She picked it up, raising her eyebrow at the box of condoms. "Umm… when did we get these?"

He opened his mouth and immediately closed it. "You know… I don't remember," he unconvincingly replied. She placed her hand against her hip, then he sheepishly grinned. "Libby sent those thinking we were going to-"

"Oh, gosh!" she shrieked, covering her mouth with her hand. If she were to survive until the end, she kept a memo to herself to yell at her older sister. Her father likely saw those condoms making the situation even more embarrassing. "Uhh- well- let's go."

Jackson carried their rolled up sleeping bag in one hand and his trident in the other. They left the cave just as it filled up even more with water. Unsure of where exactly to go, he and April freely wandered through the forest. Their conversations were kept at a low volume in case one of the other tributes was lurking nearby. Occasionally, they stopped to take a break, but they started to feel like they were walking in circles.

"This feels pointless," the redhead softly said. "We were purposely forced out of the cave, but for what?"

"People want to see a show. They won't get that if we're all hiding in different places," he dejectedly responded. "Whatever happens… I'll make sure you're alright."

The sky suddenly grew darker and the day quickly changed to night. "Like right now?" April nervously asked, glancing up at the black sky. She swallowed hard as she looked back at her boyfriend. "They're really trying to speed things up, aren't they?"

Jackson let out a low whistle. "Stay close to me." Their surroundings became more difficult to see with less light to work with. He opened April's drawstring bag to get the night vision goggles. "I suppose these will be useful now."

She took the sleeping bag from him, while he put on the expensive equipment. "Do they work?"

He turned them on and despite the green coloring inside of the goggles, everything became clearer for him. "Yup. Let's move slowly, okay?"

Following closely behind him, April kept her eyes and ears open for any suspicious movements and sounds. Her hand slightly shook as her nerves and paranoia kicked in. A possible surprise attack from a lethal muttation made her apprehensive. Sometimes the arena chose to kill off tributes themselves rather than have another tribute do the job, especially if the Games was moving too slow. But as long as she had Jackson by her side, she felt safer than if she was alone.

They stopped in their tracks when they heard a noise by a set of tall bushes. Jackson raised his trident in a fighting stance. "Hold on," he whispered, hoping to get a closer look of where the suspicious sounds originated. He pointed towards a bush moving on its own. "Over there."

She grimaced as he carefully approached the bush. "Be careful!" she quietly called out to him.

Jackson took a deep breath hoping whatever was behind the bush would come out rather than discovering what was on the other side on his own. He held his trident over his shoulder, prepared to launch it if needed. A couple of feet away from the bush, a figure popped out causing him to react immediately by throwing his trident. His eyes grew wide when its edges pierced into Jo's chest. He watched her drop her weapon before falling onto her back.

A cannon fired to signal her death, then Alex emerged from the bushes. He stared at his deceased teammate, his face forming into a scowl. "Dude," he muttered and charged towards the District 4 tribute, tackling him to the ground.

The two men wrestled on the ground, while April watched fearfully. "Jackson!" She tried to help her partner, but Alex kicked her away. She landed hard onto her back, knocking the wind out of her.

The retaliation infuriated Jackson, who threw a hard right hook into Alex's jaw. The latter returned the favor by delivering his own punch into his cheek. April tentatively pushed herself up into a sitting position, wincing from the soreness in her back. Her boyfriend stood up, pulling Alex with him before punching him again. Jackson shoved him against a tree, nearly falling backwards when he received a headbutt from his foe.

April spotted the night vision goggles Alex had knocked off of Jackson's face after he tackled him. She crawled towards it, picking it up and wearing it. With a clear view of the fight between the two men, she watched them exchange blows, but neither of them were close to surrendering to the other.

A fourth figure appeared from behind a tree. Owen grabbed one of his knives and aimed it at Jackson. April took note of it and yelled, "Jackson, watch out! Behind you!"

Hitting Alex in the nose with his elbow, Jackson put him in a headlock. He spun around just as Owen threw his knife and used the District 12 tribute as a shield. The knife lodged itself into Alex's stomach. He groaned in pain as the pretty boy dropped him onto the ground.

Jackson ran towards April, helping her up and leading her away from the action. It took a few moments for the cannon to fire. He knew Alex hadn't died from that lone stab wound, so he let Owen finish his job giving the District 4 tributes time to escape. They found a boulder large enough for them to hide and crouched down behind it.

"Alright, I'm going back to deal with Hunt," he announced, taking the night vision goggles from his girlfriend.

"What?! No!" she panicked. "You can't leave me!"

He cupped her cheeks, resting his forehead against hers. "Babe, there's only three of us left. I have to get to him first before he gets to _you_. You'll be fine here, okay? We have the advantage here, not him."

She frowned grasping his forearms. "What if he kills you before you can kill him?"

"He won't," Jackson confidently stated. He firmly pressed his lips against April's. "Stay here. I'll be right back."

"At least take this," she advised, offering her axe.

He took the axe, then he stood up. She slowly released his forearm from her grip as he turned to leave, slipping the goggles over his face. "Remember to stay here no matter what happens."

April pulled her knees together against her chest after Jackson left to find Owen. His footsteps became less and less audible and the area around her became dead silent. She chewed on her bottom lip hoping the worst case scenario wouldn't happen. A minute passed, then another and then another. She hated waiting for an outcome. So far, there weren't any cannons, which was a good sign – and also bad because Owen was still somewhere in the forest with them.

Another few minutes of waiting and her head shot up when a cannon fired.

Followed by another.

"Jackson?" She jumped up onto her feet in a state of panic. Her heart pounded fast as she prayed that the second cannon was simply a misfire. She ran around the boulder searching for any sign of her boyfriend and screaming his name as loud as she could. "Jackson!"

The sky changed again, returning to the bright blue sky from earlier in the day. Her screams were interrupted by an announcement from Sydney Heron, one she actually dreaded to hear.

_"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the winner of the 74th Hunger Games. From District 4: April Kepner."_

"No," she whispered to herself, tears quickly forming her eyes.

For most victors, they felt like they were on top of the world once it was announced they had won the brutal tournament. Unfortunately for April, it felt as if her entire world came crumbling down.

* * *

**Let me know what you think please! And keep an open mind, just saying ;D**


	11. The Flaw

**Thank you so much for your reviews! Also, I'm happy I didn't receive any flack for how I ended the last chapter. I was kinda worried about that lol. Thank you for being respectful even though I may have killed your feels :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Everything after Sydney's announcement was a blur for April. One moment she had attempted to flee from the hovercraft that arrived to bring her back to the Capitol and the next moment she was strapped inside of the cargo bay while being heavily monitored by a doctor aboard. She felt scatterbrained. Her mind couldn't focus on one specific thing. She didn't care about winning the Games because her mind constantly drifted back to the most bothersome realization.

Jackson was _dead_.

Did he sacrifice himself for her? Or did he manage to kill Owen, but the District 2 tribute was able to severely injure Jackson prior to dying? It was also possible the arena decided to input muttations to end the both of them.

Her eyes were bloodshot, having cried nonstop since the announcement. Nothing could calm her down – except for the drug injected into her system to help her temporarily pass out. By the time she woke up, she was lying in a room similar to the one where she first met Addison. Dressed in a white gown, an IV was connected to the back of her hand. Any pain she felt in the arena was gone, which meant she was given morphling, a powerful painkiller produced for the Capitol.

April carefully sat up on the table, rubbing the back of her head as she scanned the empty room. Soon after, the door opened and Libby rushed inside with Finn following from behind. Her older sister tightly hugged her, but she remained still, leaving her arms by her sides.

"I'm so happy to see you again," Libby tearfully greeted her. She slightly pulled away, pressing her hands against April's cheeks. The elder Kepner frowned when she was unresponsive. "Say something."

For half a minute, the newest victor blankly stared at her mentors before she finally broke her silence. "Jackson's dead."

Finn pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He was just as devastated about losing Jackson as April was, but he felt terrible for her. They had fallen in love. He saw the shift in their relationship while they were in the arena. They might have fooled most of Panem with their tragic love story, but he knew exactly when their fake romance became legit.

Libby hugged April again and soothingly rubbed her lower back. "I'm sorry, Apes. I really am. I hate to do this to you, but…" She stepped back, helping her sister off of the table. "…we have to get you ready for your post-Games interview with Sydney. Addison and Arizona are waiting for you in the apartment and we're required to bring you there right now."

After removing the IV from her hand, the two mentors escorted April out of the room. She wasn't sure if she would be able to speak in front of the Capitol citizens after what she had been through – almost a full week of pure Hell. And there was no time to mourn for Jackson, which made her feel even worse.

Despite being out of the arena, she knew her day was far from over.

* * *

President Webber adjusted his tie as he changed into a more formal outfit for the post-Games interview and crowning ceremony. A knock on the door drew his attention and allowed whoever was on the other side to come inside. He turned away from his mirror when Gamemaker Bailey arrived. "Ah, Ms. Bailey. What brings you to my mansion? You should be on your way to the theater for the live post-Games event."

Bailey appeared grim and uncomfortable as she approached Webber with her arms behind her back. "Uhh, sir. We have a problem," she nervously replied.

"A problem?" he reiterated. "What type of problem?"

She revealed a tablet from behind her back and opened a video for him. "Th-this is security footage from one of the cells in the control center. We umm… we have been deceived."

Webber stared at the video, furrowing his brow at the surprising sight. "I can see that."

"So, what should we do? The Games are over, sir. Never before has this happened."

Pursing his lips, he thought long and hard for a solution. Nobody had ever dared to defy the Capitol since the last rebellion that had caused District 13's demise. "Actually, this will make things even more interesting. Let's make this a part of the post-Games event," he decided.

Bailey glanced back at the president appalled. "Are you serious? Don't you think the people will be infuriated by this?"

"Not if we handle this correctly," he insisted, walking to his desk and pressing a button. A holographic screen came out of a small box and Sydney's perky face materialized. "Ms. Heron, how are the preparations for tonight's telecast going?"

"Running very smoothly, Mr. President!" the pink haired woman chirped. "I have all of my index cards ready!"

Webber softly chuckled. "Well, there is going to be a slight change in tonight's program. The show will continue as scheduled, but with a special twist. Are you sitting down?" He watched Sydney nod eagerly. "I guarantee you will be floored by what I'm about to tell you – as will the rest of the country once this news is officially revealed."

* * *

Alone in a dressing room with Addison, April stood on a platform while her stylist smoothed out any wrinkles she noticed on her royal blue, strapless gown. Her auburn hair flowed over her shoulders, neatly curled at the tips. It almost felt strange being clean again, though she had spent the majority of her first hot shower sitting in the corner of the stall and sobbing over Jackson.

Addison stood upright, taking a step back to examine April's outfit. She had decorated her face with light blush and red lipstick. "You look beautiful, sweetheart," she complimented. The younger redhead simply sighed in response. "By the way, I saved something that you might want. You were wearing it on your finger when you arrived."

April watched her stylist pick up a small box and open it. Inside was the pearl ring Jackson had created for her in the arena. The sight of it caused her to tear up. "J-Jackson gave that to me," she murmured. "I… I want to wear it."

"Okay, but try not to cry. You'll ruin your makeup," she advised, handing the ring to the District 4 tribute. Addison used a handkerchief to dab the tears on April's face. She sadly smiled at her afterwards. "I'm very sorry. You have to put on your brave face out there, though."

Arizona entered the dressing room after knocking on the door. "Is our tribute ready?" she gleefully greeted them as she sauntered across the room in her gold outfit. Her dress was covered with gold glitter along with her high heels. "Chop, chop! The citizens want to meet the Games' newest victor!"

April carefully stepped off of her platform and Arizona escorted her out of the dressing room. She wasn't looking forward to the festivities planned for her by the Capitol. All she wanted was to return home to District 4 and be with her father and sisters. On her way to the backstage of the theater, she was stopped by one of the Capitol citizens who had snuck past the Peacekeepers.

"Excuse me, but may I have a minute with this lovely woman?" Denny asked Arizona, grinning brightly at the young woman. He extended his hand out to April. "You don't know me, but I know you quite well."

"Umm… you do?" she awkwardly replied.

"Oh, yes. This is Denny Duquette. He was your top sponsor during the Games," Arizona answered. She partially stood behind the blue-haired man, resting her hands on top of his shoulders. "He's responsible for the majority of your gifts."

The redhead slightly smiled at the older man. "Oh, well… thank you."

He placed his hand on her bare shoulder causing her to flinch. "Mr. Avery was quite the competitor, but I believe you carried the both of you towards that finish line. You grew into a fierce player in that arena. I'm looking forward to getting to know you more."

His touch made April uneasy. She stepped away, walking around him towards backstage. Denny was polite but she felt uncomfortable around him. She barely knew him to begin with and she truthfully did not want to get to know him anytime soon. Becoming a member of the Capitol wasn't in her list of interests either. District 4 was her home and she preferred to grow old and die there.

Like the pre-Games interview, Sydney warmed up the crowd with her corny jokes. She drew roars of laughter from her fellow citizens before changing the subject to the events that had occurred in this year's Hunger Games. Before introducing April to the audience, the host tried to build their excitement by describing her journey from being considered one of the first tributes to die to emerging as the dark horse victor.

"Now, I'm positive you don't want to just stare at me all night," Sydney jokingly said, eliciting more laughs from the crowd. She waved her free arm towards the side of the stage. "And I know you want to meet the woman of the hour, so let's not waste any more time. Ladies and gentlemen, the victor of the 74th annual Hunger Games, Ms. April Kepner!"

Everybody in the theater arose onto their feet, applauding loudly as April walked onto the stage. She softly smiled, forcing herself to wave to pretend she cared about being there. Libby and Finn were seated in the front row with Addison. Her older sister proudly smiled and clapped for her, despite knowing April hated the sudden attention drawn to her. After exchanging a brief hug with Sydney, the younger Kepner took a seat on the couch across from the host.

"Welcome back, dear. As you can tell, many of us are thrilled to see you survive the Games. We were all rooting for you, especially after that unforgettable moment when you defeated Cristina Yang of District 2. Am I right, everyone?" Sydney playfully asked the crowd. They cheered and applauded, then she raised her hand to quiet them down. "Not to mention, April, you have been a Capitol favorite due to your relationship with Jackson Avery. We watched your relationship during its worst times, but we also witnessed your sweetest moments together. Tell us, how are you feeling right now after losing your one true love?"

April frowned as she glanced down at her pearl ring. "I miss him a lot," she murmured, twisting the ring back and forth against her finger. She rapidly blinked to dry the tears forming in her eyes. "He… he meant everything to me."

Members of the audience let out their "Aww's" as a way to show their sympathy towards the heartbroken victor. Sydney widely grinned, exchanging glances between April and the crowd. "Well, what if I said that you could see the handsome dreamboat right now?"

Her question caused the redhead to scowl at her. "I don't want to see my dead boyfriend."

"But what if… he _isn't_ dead?" Sydney's comment drew whispers and suspicious looks from the Capitol citizens. She soaked in their puzzled expressions and laughed to herself. "I will get straight to the point, ladies and gentlemen. We don't have one but _two_ victors this year. How about we bring out our second winner? Mr. Jackson Avery!"

April's head darted up when a second spotlight turned on at the opposite side of the stage. The theater erupted in gasps and shrieks when Jackson appeared wearing a white and gold suit. He smiled, waving to the stunned crowd.

Finn looked at Libby, whose mouth was wide open. "Did you know about this?" She quietly shook her head, then he stood up and grinned as he applauded for his tribute. "Holy shit!"

Slowly standing up, April stared in shock as Jackson moved towards the center of the stage. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her boyfriend was _alive_. They made eye contact before she sprinted across the stage in her heels until she reached him. Throwing her arms over his shoulders, she kissed his lips hard. They shared a passionate kiss, which made the crowd grow wilder. People were screaming, many surprised and confused. Some beamed with joy, while others shouted to Sydney asking how two victors came out of the arena.

This time, she let the tears go as she pulled away from him. April ran her palms against Jackson's cheeks and rested her hands on his chest. "Is- is it really you? You're actually here?" she anxiously said.

"Yes, it's me. I told you I'd be back," the pretty boy assured her, wiping away a tear with his thumb. "I'm so happy to see you. I'm never leaving you again. I mean it this time."

She let out a laugh as more tears streamed down her face. "You better not, you jerk."

Jackson wrapped his arms around April's waist, kissing her lips again. Sydney forced herself to interrupt the romantic moment, tapping him on the shoulder. "Sorry to intrude, lovebirds, but we still have an interview to continue," she delightfully stated. The audience laughed as the couple sheepishly walked to their couch. They refused to let go of each other's hands while they sat close beside each other. "Quite a shocker for everyone, isn't it? Never have we had more than one victor in the history of the Games until now. Even death couldn't keep you two apart."

"Definitely not," Jackson concurred, turning his head to look at April. "I would do anything for this woman. It was a major risk, but my plan to save the both of us worked out for us in the end. Nothing can ever keep us apart."

The pink haired woman gushed as the young couple shared another kiss. She playfully fanned herself with her hand and smiled at the crowd. "Anybody else become pregnant watching these two?" she quipped. "Alright, alright. We have a highlight reel of our District 4 victors' experience in the arena, which will reveal how Mr. Avery also won the Games."

A flat screen lowered from the ceiling, stopping ten feet above the floor. Instrumental music played in the background as a video displayed Jackson and April's most important moments inside of the arena. Neither of them wanted to see the gruesome highlights, which included their kills. Instead, they simply stared into each other's eyes, smiling and continuing to savor the fact that they were together again.

The highlights drew mixed reactions from the audience. People found amusement in the mutant squirrels attacking the pretty boy. They sighed in awe when he and April reunited for the first time. Many cheered after she killed Matthew to save her boyfriend. They worriedly watched Jackson resuscitate her as if she wasn't going to make it. The biggest highlight was the mini bloodbath that had taken place on the mountain. Most of the Capitol citizens cringed or looked away when the redhead brutally eliminated Cristina Yang. They wept when she and Lexie shared a moment during the latter's last breaths.

And the final moment everybody, including April, had waited for arrived – Jackson's sneaky move to become co-victor of the Hunger Games. It was the only time she decided to watch the screen because she was just as curious as everyone else.

He found Owen in the forest and confronted him immediately. The District 2 tribute carried a knife in each hand, swinging his arms furiously at Jackson. The latter blocked his swings with his axe, but he used the inside of his right forearm to block another causing the knife to pierce through his flesh and crush his tracking device. Doing this misguided the control center into thinking his vitals had dropped.

Jackson fell back, pulling Owen on top of him. His enemy had stabbed him in the chest, but his body armor prevented the blade from puncturing his skin. He used his strength to direct the man's other knife into his neck, cutting into his jugular and killing him instantly. The pretty boy played dead and two cannons fired soon after.

While the audience cheered and applauded his sneakiness, Jackson smiled to himself. His plan had successfully worked. It was risky, but he pulled it off. A hovercraft had taken both he and Owen, then he waited for the perfect moment to show he was alive. At first, he thought they would have executed him on the spot for rebelling against the rules of the Games and outsmarting them. Instead, he was greeted by President Webber at the control center and he simply offered congratulatory words.

It seemed peculiar, but he wasn't going to complain about being alive.

"I for one was very much fooled. You are a marvelous actor, Mr. Avery," Sydney complimented. She watched numerous citizens nod in agreement. "A move like that for love, so dangerous, yet so courageous of you."

"I did what I had to do," Jackson insisted, draping his arm over April's shoulders and kissing her cheek. "Our love is what pushed me to stay alive for her. Our story wasn't meant to end inside of that arena."

Following their interview, they were escorted to the closing ceremony. It took place in the same outdoor arena where the tributes parade occurred. The victors were forced to sit through two hours of performances by some of the Capitol's famous rock bands and other entertainers. Fireworks flooded the nightly sky prior to the crowning ceremony.

President Webber gently placed a gold crown on top of April's head before doing the same to Jackson. He smugly smiled at the young man. "You're a clever man, Mr. Avery. Perhaps too clever," he whispered. "The Capitol clearly admires you."

"Uhh, thank you, sir," he replied, softly clearing his throat afterwards.

Jackson eyed the older man as he walked away to address the crowd. He almost felt threatened by his words, but he tried not to think too much of it. Instead, he focused on April and the fact that they could now go home.

* * *

The upside of the conclusion of the post-Games festivities was Jackson and April were allowed to board a train to return home to District 4. It was a long train ride home, giving them time to recollect themselves and relax before another round of celebrations with their family and friends. They ate dinner with Finn and Libby on the train, then retired to their bedrooms for the night.

Although exhausted, the pretty boy laid flat on his back in his bed and stared at the ceiling. He struggled to fall asleep, despite how comfortable it felt to be in a real bed. His back didn't ache from lying on rigid stone and the extra soft pillows supported his head. But one thing was missing – his girlfriend. He thought he might fall asleep with April beside him, so he climbed out of bed, threw on some pajama pants and left his bedroom.

The train was quiet with the exception of the engine roaring as it traveled away from the Capitol, yet Jackson tip toed his way to April's bedroom down the hallway. When he reached her room the automatic door slid open and he peeked his head inside. Somewhat unsurprisingly, she was awake and sitting up on her bed. His presence immediately drew her attention.

"Hey," he whispered, stepping inside. "I can't sleep."

"Same," she said, smiling as she scooted towards the edge of her bed. "I'm actually relieved to see you. I… I thought about sneaking into your room, but I wasn't sure if you were asleep."

He softly chuckled, resting his arms behind his back. "It's a good thing I decided to come over then."

April stood up and walked towards Jackson. "I still can't believe you're here standing right in front of me. I keep thinking I've been in some coma since they picked me up from the arena and I'm going to wake up to find out you've been dead all along."

"You're not dreaming. This is real," he reassured her, gently running his hand along her left arm. She wore a white, silk nightgown that cut off just above her knees. He took note of her cleavage and the fact that he could almost see through her sleeping attire. The teenage boy in him thought she shouldn't have bothered to wear anything at all. "You are so beautiful right now. Well, you always are, but… I've always loved your natural beauty without the makeup."

She shyly bit her bottom lip, slightly ducking her head. "Before you showed up, I had some time to think – about us. After I heard those cannons fire, my heart felt like it stopped for a minute. I thought you were dead and… now that we're together again, I don't want to waste any more opportunities to be with you."

He raised his eyebrows when she swiftly slid the straps of her nightgown off of her shoulders and let the thin garment drop down to the floor. She stood in front of him in her matching white panties and he fought his hardest to keep his eyes focused on her face and not on her breasts. Something seemed different about April. She appeared confident, a characteristic she lacked prior to the Games. Seeing her this way made it even more difficult for him to concentrate.

"April-"

"I want to, Jackson. The thought of you and those other girls at home…" April's fingers grazed her boyfriend's pecs causing him to inhale sharply from her light touch. "…makes me jealous of them. And I love you. I'm ready to share my first time with you."

She kissed him before he could respond. He hesitantly placed his hands against her lower back as she deepened the kiss. His hands started to tremble causing concern for the redhead.

"Jackson, what's wrong?" she asked curiously. "Do- do you not want to do this?"

Jackson glanced up at the ceiling and sighed. "I uhh, I have to confess something. You might not believe me, but… I've never actually… those girls, I never did- well, it was all talk," he nervously admitted.

April raised her eyebrow at him. "You mean, you're also a…"

"I'm a v-virgin," he confirmed, his voice cracking towards the end. Sheepishly grinning at her, he rubbed the back of his shaved head. "I didn't want to go through my first time with just anybody, you know? To be honest, I've been holding out hope that you would be my first. Whatever those girls said about me at school weren't true. I never had sex with them."

April covered her mouth with her hand and quietly laughed. Her Mr. Experienced wasn't experienced after all. He appeared very embarrassed about his admission, but she appreciated him even more for being a virgin too. They were on the same page in their relationship, which excited her even more. "That's okay. Really, it's okay," she happily replied.

He cupped her cheeks and pressed his lips against hers. Lifting her up from the floor, he carried her to her bed and carefully laid her onto her back. "You're sure you want to right now?"

"Yes. I've wanted this since I realized I'm in love with you," she murmured in between kisses. Her hands roamed over his back, stopping at the waistband of his pajama pants. He got the hint and sloppily removed them while his face was buried into her neck, lightly gnawing at her smooth skin.

Jackson wanted to kiss every inch of her body, taking advantage of the parts he couldn't kiss in the arena. Her moans ensured he was doing a good job and that he knew what he was doing. In the back of his mind, though, he was scared of hurting her. He wanted to be as gentle as possible given it was his girlfriend's first time having sex. And he didn't want to make a fool of myself by being awful in bed. He was still a teenager with a reputation to protect. Being a victor didn't mean much if he became the guy who was awful at sex.

A wave of apprehension rushed through April's body once both of them were completely naked. Her first time seeing a boy in the nude made her blush because it was Jackson. His toned muscles and perfectly chiseled abdomen made almost every woman swoon, including those who were older than him. She had heard gossip at school about his _assets_. Her classmates were either perverts who peeped in the boys' locker room or their imaginations were accurate.

Gossiping about her boyfriend's body was out of the question. She wanted to keep the true image of his nude body all to herself.

He promised to take it slow and go at the pace she was comfortable with. That hint of discomfort faded after a few moments. Their kisses mixed with their moans sent Jackson over edge – perhaps too soon.

April turned her head to look at Jackson, who lay beside her with a pout on his face. "What's the matter?"

"I just…" Placing his forearm over his eyes, he let out a groan. "Don't get me wrong. It was _amazing_, but uhh… I wish I could've lasted a bit longer. I'm positive sex can go for much longer than that. I'm sorry."

Rolling onto her side and propping herself up with her elbow, April giggled and placed her hand against his chest. "You don't have to apologize. I enjoyed every second of it." She traced her fingertip along the edges of Jackson's six-pack abs. "Do you want to do it again? I'm not sleepy at all."

The pretty boy smirked at his girlfriend. The more time they spent together the more confident she became. He loved this new bold side of her. And just as he had expected, he really enjoyed sex. Jackson lightly grasped the back of her head, pulling her down to kiss her. "I could do this all night," he boasted.

April playfully pushed him onto his back. "Okay, but I have one simple request."

"And that is?"

She straddled his lap, pressing her palms against his chest with a mischievous grin on her face. "I get to be on top this time."

"Fine with me," he huskily groaned before she leaned forward and hungrily kissed his lips.

* * *

The next morning, Libby decided to let the twosome sleep in until noon, but when she went to Jackson's bedroom to wake him up he was missing. She immediately went to April's bedroom knowing he was a teenage boy with raging hormones. The sound of the automatic door opening woke up Jackson, who partially flipped over and looked back at the eldest Kepner.

Libby was about to speak, but she froze when her sister slowly came into view covering her naked body with the blanket. Both of them quietly stared at each other from across the room. April appeared somewhat embarrassed because she knew her older sister had figured out what they had done the previous night.

"Good morning," the younger victor softly said, biting down on her bottom lip.

Libby raised her hand, reluctantly pointing her finger at the couple as she struggled to find words to say to them. Her mouth continuously opened and closed until she managed to say, "Lunch is in twenty minutes."

They watched their mentor rush out of the bedroom, then they burst into laughter. Jackson wrapped his arms around April's waist and peppered kisses along her shoulder. "She seemed rather disturbed," he snickered, brushing her hair aside to kiss the spot behind her ear. "At least she didn't pull the covers away like the last time she woke me up."

She closed her eyes and smiled as he continued to shower her with gentle kisses. "We should get out of bed, but I'm too comfortable to move. At the same time, I don't want to keep Libby waiting."

Jackson sighed as April playfully pushed him away. He picked up his pajama pants from the floor and wore them. "I will see you in a bit," he said, hovering over her and kissing her lips. She purposely locked her arms over his shoulders to prevent him from leaving. "Hey, don't make me regret getting out of bed."

"Okay, I'll be good," she chuckled, releasing him from her grip.

After her boyfriend left, April freshened up in the bathroom and put on a light yellow sundress. Just as she was about to leave her bedroom, Libby returned with a glass of water and a pill in her hand. "What are you doing?"

"Take this," her older sister ordered.

She sighed in annoyance. "Are you kidding me?"

"April, you are a teenage girl. A teenage girl with giddy ovaries. I highly doubt you and Jackson used any protection last night, so I'm asking you kindly to take this right now."

"Oh my gosh. You can't be serious."

Libby rolled her eyes. "You just survived the most brutal event to take place once a year. That's already enough for you to handle and the wild ride doesn't end when we arrive home, my dear sister. Plus, you're only eighteen. A baby should _not_ be in your plans at the moment," she scolded the younger redhead. "I don't think Daddy is ready to become a granddaddy yet either. So, take the damn pill and stop arguing with me."

April swiped the pill from her sister and put it in her mouth. She washed it down with water, then she handed the glass back to Libby. "Happy now?"

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go." Leading her into the dining room, both Kepners paused behind the table. Libby placed her hands against her hips as she watched Finn and Jackson exchange a quick fist bump. Her fellow mentor likely just congratulated him for becoming a man. "Really, you guys?"

Finn turned around in his seat and politely nodded his head. "Afternoon, Kepner."

"You too," April greeted him on her way to her seat beside Jackson. She failed to notice Finn briefly checking her out and Libby smacking him upside the head. Her focus was solely on the pretty boy, who was dressed in a half-opened white dress shirt and black pants. "You look handsome."

Jackson leaned in for a kiss after she sat down. "And you're gorgeous as always."

"Oh, brother," Libby scoffed, sitting across from April. Without Arizona around to explain the next line of business for the two victors, it was hers and Finn's job to inform them of their upcoming schedule. "Can you two stop eating each other's faces for a few minutes? We have some important matters to discuss."

"Like?" her younger sister curiously asked.

"When we arrive in District 4 there will be a huge crowd at the train station to greet us. Remember to smile and wave because cameramen from the Capitol will be on hand to record you two for their live feed," Finn started. "And I'm sure you're familiar with the dinner party Mayor Perkins hosts when we bring home a victor. For the next week, you two are going to be very busy doing interviews for our local news stations and other promotional crap that both Libby and I had to endure."

"And there will be a period of time for you to relax before the Victory Tour in six months," Libby added. "Also, your houses in the Victors' Village are already prepped and ready to move into. April, your new house is next to mine and Jackson's is across the street beside Finn's."

April furrowed her brow in confusion. "Why can't I live with Jackson?"

Libby laughed to herself. "One, you two aren't married. Two, no freakin' way!" she exclaimed. "Suppose I didn't care which house you stayed in, but Daddy sure as hell won't allow you to share a home _alone_ with Mr. Horny Boy here."

Finn dismissively waved his hand. "You guys will only live twenty five yards away from each other. No biggie."

"Don't encourage them," she mumbled. "Apes, considering you're Daddy's favorite, I suggest you talk to him first before you start playing house with Avery. Honestly, no matter how much you beg, he's not going to let you move in with your boyfriend – who really only became your boyfriend a few days ago."

Jackson slipped his hand into April's. "Well, we love each other. She's the woman I'm going to marry and spend the rest of my life with," he boldly stated, smiling at his girlfriend. "I already feel married to her."

Libby cracked a smile, rolling her eyes as the two teenagers kissed again. Of course she was happy for them. Jackson had saved her sister's life more than once. She didn't need anybody convincing her they were in love. The Games had changed April for the better. She matured quickly, became a strong competitor and came out of the arena a different person. There was no denying that she was damn proud of her sister.

"You two are obnoxiously cute, I'll admit that," she replied, slightly shaking her head. "I'm happy you're both alive."

"Do you think the Capitol is pissed about this?" Jackson inquired, his face in serious mode. "I'm only asking now because I was afraid they might have been listening to everything over there. I kind of gave them the finger by cheating the system."

Finn exchanged glances with Libby, then he looked at their tribute. "Off the record, the people of District 1 and 2 aren't exactly thrilled about what you did, Avery. Some are crying foul because the Capitol allowed two victors from the same district to happen. Whereas, the lower districts consider this a calling for them to start another rebellion."

"You think it'll become as big as the first rebellion?" he inquisitively asked. None of the four victors sitting at the dining table were alive during the first and only rebellion against the Capitol. They only knew of its history through what they learned in school. "I mean, it wasn't my intention to spark one."

"Who knows? For now, keep this information to yourselves and enjoy your time as local celebrities. Everybody is going to want to be around you two," the older man advised.

Meanwhile back in the Capitol, President Webber watched live surveillance footage of the District 4 members as they started eating their lunch on the train. Hidden cameras had been placed inside of the train prior to its departure. He listened to their conversation, hearing everything coming out of their mouths.

"Mr. Avery and Ms. Kepner," he murmured to himself, watching the young couple smile at each other. "Be grateful for the time you get to spend with each other because there will be consequences for your actions when you least expect it."

* * *

**So, I always intended for both to survive since I started writing this. Anyway, enjoy some fluff in the next few chapters before things become twisty again and let me know what you think please! :)**


	12. The Date

**Thanks for the reviews, guys! Sorry for the delay. Working on multiple fics at the moment :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

A week in the arena felt like a month, but a week back at home in District 4 felt like a never ending year full of interviews, ass kissing and fancy dinners with the richest people in the area. From morning to midnight, Jackson and April were kept busy with little time to relax. And opportunities to be alone were slim. With Finn and Libby chaperoning them during their local press tour, sneaking around for five minutes became an almost impossible task.

They had appeared on local talk shows, sharing their experiences in the arena and gushing about their love for each other. Although, they always omitted the part about truly becoming a couple just a week ago. All of the fake smiles and laughs for the cameras were mainly for President Webber. Finn had informed them to always act happy because the Capitol would be watching them closely.

Their peers began treating them differently since returning from the Games. April was no longer the invisible girl people walked past without a second glimpse. Boys from their class were smitten over her, while the girls' crushes on Jackson intensified. However, unlike in the past, he refused to pay close attention to them. He already had somebody to call the love of his life. No more fooling around – with other women anyway.

Following their grueling week of media appearances, they were given peace and quiet in their homes in the Victors' Village. No interview requests, no mentors breathing over their shoulders. They had all the time in the world for each other.

But it wasn't as easy as it sounded. With April's family living next door to her house, it practically felt like she still lived with them. The Averys opted to stay in their mansion just outside of town, so the pretty boy never had to worry about his parents or brothers catching him and his girlfriend together after curfew. That wasn't the case for her side.

Jackson opened the front door of April's house slowly and quietly. He peeked his head inside, hoping Libby wasn't roaming around to shoo him away. He had just woken up and ran across the street in his boxers to see if April was already up. She was known to be an early riser, so he suspected she would be. The light humming in the kitchen confirmed his suspicions as he closed the door behind him.

He stopped in the doorway, smiling as he stared at the redhead. Her back faced him while she prepared what looked like pancake mix on the island counter. She was dressed in an emerald green nightgown similar to the white one she had worn on the train. His eyes scanned her milky white legs as he carefully snuck up on her. He slowly snaked his arms around her waist causing her to jump.

"Good morning, beautiful," he whispered, greeting her with kisses along her bare shoulder.

April tilted her head to the side, so her boyfriend could kiss her neck. "You ruined my surprise," she playfully scolded him. "I was going to make you breakfast and sneak into _your_ house, but now that you're here, the surprise is foiled."

"I'll make it up you, dear," he murmured, turning her head towards his and capturing her lips. Jackson gently pulled on April's bottom lip with his teeth before kissing her chin. "You look so sexy in that. It should be against the law for you to be wearing that nightgown to sleep."

"Well, I have to wear something to sleep," she chuckled.

"Or you could wear nothing at all," Jackson softly said.

She lightly elbowed him in the gut and laughed. "Not an option. Sometimes my little sisters want to sleep over, so that would be very awkward for them. Also, I'm the only person in my house right now, so you don't have to talk quietly."

His face lit up, then he spun her around. He picked her up and set her on the countertop. "It's a very good thing I decided to visit you because…" Jackson stood in between April's legs, running his palms against her thighs until they disappeared underneath her nightgown. "…I've missed you, if you know what I mean."

April bit down on her lower lip as she wrapped her arms around Jackson's neck. Their busy week prevented them from engaging in any intimate activities, so she had been aching to be with him as much as he did. They were both new to sex and their weeklong dry spell since returning home had been unbearable. "You might have to refresh my memory."

A muffled growl escaped from his mouth before pressing his lips against hers. He deepened the kiss, pulling her legs around his waist. Jackson briefly reached down to retrieve a condom packet from the waistband of his boxers. "I'm all prepared too," he gloated, holding it in between his index and middle fingers and waving it around.

She smirked at him in response. "I hate to kill your victorious moment, but I have a box in my bedroom."

"So you're more prepared than I am. God, you are so amazing," he huskily stated, lifting her from the counter and carrying her out of the kitchen.

April peppered kisses along Jackson's jaw line as he carried her upstairs. "But what about breakfast?" she asked in between kisses. "I'm making strawberry pancakes just for you."

He walked into her bedroom and tossed her onto the bed, making her laugh. "We can have breakfast afterwards," he insisted before climbing on top of her and silencing her with another kiss.

* * *

After a few knocks on the front door, Libby used her spare key to enter April's house. She closed the door behind her with her foot as she glanced up the stairs. "Apes, are you awake?" Peeking into each room downstairs, she couldn't find her sister anywhere. She started walking upstairs, pausing midway when she heard muffled sounds coming from one of the rooms. "Hello?"

She charged up the stairs after hearing a loud gasp, then she burst open April's bedroom door. "April, everything- oh my gosh!" she exclaimed, shielding her eyes with her forearm. The quick blur view of her sister riding her boyfriend was enough to traumatize her.

Her reaction caused April to panic as she climbed off of Jackson, throwing the blanket over his entire body to hide him. "Libby! Did you forget how to knock?" she shrieked, covering herself from the shoulders down with her blanket.

"I did knock! On your front door at least three times!" their mentor retorted, turning away from the couple while she waved her free hand. "And I know Jackson is there, so stop trying to hide him."

"Can you _please_ get out of here? Oh my gosh, this is so embarrassing!" April grimaced as she buried her face into her hands. Never had she expected anybody to walk in on them at that moment and catch them in the act. Her older sister being the lucky – more like _unlucky_ – witness to do so made the situation humiliating.

"Uhh, no. We have some serious matters to discuss, so Jackson needs to leave. Like, right now," Libby ordered. She snapped her fingers and pointed down at the floor. "Avery, get over here."

Jackson slowly climbed out of bed, grabbing his boxers and swiftly slipping them on. He folded his hands to cover himself in front as he joined the eldest Kepner in the doorway. "Oww!" he yelped, rubbing the back of his head after Libby slapped him.

She escorted him downstairs and opened the front door for him. "I don't want to treat you like a puppy, but stay out. And put some clothes on."

He turned around, raising a finger. "When you're done can I-" The door slammed in his face and he awkwardly looked around. "Hmm… okay."

Libby stomped back up the stairs and returned to April's bedroom. She was grateful to see her sister dressed in her nightgown, but she rolled her eyes at the scowl on her face. "I hope you were being safe."

"I hope _you_ realize that your concern over my sex life is actually creeping me out," April irritably replied, folding her arms in front of her chest.

"And honestly, I didn't know you were that type."

"What type?" she asked confused.

Libby smirked as she closed the door. "The type who enjoys being on top."

"Libby!" April snapped, taking a pillow and smashing her face into it. She groaned loudly before looking back at her sister with a pout on her face. "Please don't embarrass me more than you already have. Now, what are you doing here?"

After sitting down across from her on the bed, Libby took a deep breath and exhaled. "You have a date tomorrow night," she announced.

"A date? With who?"

"One of your sponsors from the Games," she answered dejectedly. "His name is Denny Duquette."

April's mouth dropped open. Her face changed into an aghast expression. "Is it that older man with the blue hair?! He talked to me backstage before my post-Games interview!" she recalled. "And he- he's gross. He touched my arm in an attempt to seduce me or something. It was disgusting! Why am I going on a date with him?"

"Something came up when you were still in the arena. Denny invited Finn and I to breakfast and practically conned his way into getting a date with you. He threatened to pull out of his sponsorship if we didn't agree to it."

"You sold me out?!" she yelled in frustration. "Libby, how could you do this to me?"

"It wasn't me, it was Finn! I fought my hardest for it to not happen, but he overruled me. Do you honestly think I would sell you out to one of those Capitol sleaze balls?" Libby angrily questioned. "You have no idea how it all works, April. Winning the Games doesn't mean you're a free person. They can do whatever they want with you. Consider yourself lucky because President Webber could have had Jackson executed in front of you for the stunt he pulled! All of us have had to go through something terrible after winning."

April stared at her sister dumbfounded. She never heard Libby complain about the Capitol as much as she did now. Her memories of her post-Games experience consisted of her acting arrogant and everybody in District 4 practically bowed down to her. She constantly bragged about the privileges she had when she visited the Capitol. Apparently, the luxurious life of a victor was a sham.

"But… you always seemed so honored to be treated like royalty," she murmured.

Libby frowned, blinking her eyes to dry the tears that had formed. "Well, I couldn't let you know about the dark sides of winning. I've had to do things that… Daddy would disown me for sure if he knew," she admitted. "And we're not supposed to be sharing this publicly either, so don't you dare tell anybody. Not even Jackson. If anything, he'll find this out on his own. He's an attractive man after all."

"You think they'll shop him around to the Capitol ladies?" April worriedly asked. "Will they do the same to me?"

"I'm not sure what will happen to either of you. Not everyone goes through the same treatment. But this honeymoon phase you two are in isn't going to last forever unless something changes over there, which we all know won't happen either," she truthfully stated. "I'm sorry you have to find out about this now, but I've been doing everything I can to protect you."

The younger redhead crawled closer to her sister and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry you had to experience _that_. In fact, I was always jealous of you because you were popular enough before the Games and winning made you a celebrity," she guiltily replied. "If I had known-"

"You were better off not knowing," Libby insisted, pulling away from April. "They threatened to kill you and the rest of our family if I didn't obey their orders. You couldn't know that part. It's possible they will threaten to do that again if you don't go on this date."

"What do I have to do?" she nervously asked, biting on her bottom lip.

"It's just dinner somewhere in town. You two will talk about crap you won't care about. Just pretend to care," her older sister advised. "Finn told me he will make sure Denny doesn't mistreat you in any way. I'm not sure what his plan is, but just trust him."

April sighed. She wasn't thrilled about going out on a date with a 30-something aged man, especially one from the Capitol. Her next thought jumped to Jackson and how we would feel about the situation. It annoyed her that her first real date was going to be with a man she barely knew. "Jackson's not going to like this."

* * *

Sitting on the first few steps leading to April's front door, Jackson rested his forearms against his knees as he patiently waited to be invited back into the house. He wondered what the two sisters were talking about upstairs. It had nothing to do with him. Otherwise, Libby would have openly told both of them what was on her mind. She never hesitated to speak bluntly with him in the past.

Off the corner of his eye, he noticed an older, taller man heading towards him from his left side. It was Joe, which caused him to jump up onto his feet. He folded his hands in front of himself once again as he sheepishly grinned at her girlfriend's father. "Good morning, Mr. Kepner."

"Good morning, Jackson," Joe greeted him back, raising his eyebrow at his lack of clothes. "What are you doing outside of April's house in your draws, son?"

"Oh, umm… I wanted to borrow a cup of sugar, but she and Libby are having a private sister conversation that I'm not allowed to listen in on," the pretty boy partially lied. He eyed the plate of homemade biscuits in Joe's hand. "It might be a while. Girl talk can take hours."

The fisherman nodded, extending the plate out to Jackson. "I see you nearly drooling over these biscuits. Why don't you have one while we wait for the girls to finish?" he offered. "Don't worry. There's plenty left for my firebug."

Jackson politely smiled as he grabbed a warm biscuit. "Thank you, sir."

"Also, since we're alone right now, I say it's the perfect opportunity to talk. Man to… you," Joe reluctantly stated, causing the younger man to suddenly stop chewing. "Now I paid very close attention to my daughter during the Games. Like many of us in District 4, I knew your romance with her was nonexistent until you two were in the arena. I believe you love April. What you did for her in the arena proved that to me. I work for your father and he's a respectable man, so I also respect you. However, if at any point you do anything to hurt her, that respect is gone. Understand?"

He quickly nodded with his mouth half-stuffed. "Yes, sir." After swallowing his food, he cleared his throat. "Mr. Kepner, I've been in love with your daughter since we were four years old. I would marry her right now if I could – not in my draws, of course. I would wear nicer clothes for the occasion."

"Are you asking me for my daughter's hand in marriage?" the older man suspiciously questioned.

Jackson's eyes widened as he waved his hands. "No, no. Well, would it be a hassle if I did ask now and propose later? Much, much later?" he anxiously replied.

Joe chuckled, resting his hand on top of Jackson's shoulder. "How about you ask me when you're ready?" he amusingly said and winked. "Then we can talk details when you are. Next, we should talk about some ground rules."

"Yeah?"

"I'm under the impression that you and my daughter are having sexual intercourse. Correct?"

Jackson's entire body stiffened upon hearing Joe's latest question. The awkward tension between them increased even more because he wasn't sure if he should lie or tell the truth. Either option made him incredibly uncomfortable. If he was honest, would April's father attempt to castrate him? He never truly had _the_ talk with his own father. All of the information he relied on came from school or worse, his older brothers. Grayson and Harrison weren't the most reliable sources for a lot of subjects. And he had been too embarrassed to ask his mother for sex advice.

He coughed as his throat felt dry. His palms felt sweaty and Joe continued to stare at him intensely, waiting for his answered. "Yes," he squeaked, ducking his head in shame. "My- my voice doesn't always sound like that, sir."

"I have two rules. Follow them both and we'll be just fine," Joe declared, holding up two fingers. "One, you guys sleep in separate beds- wait, let me change that. You will sleep in your _own homes_ at night. And two, you will not get my daughter pregnant until you're married. Am I clear?"

"Very clear, sir. Clearer than crystal," the pretty boy immediately answered with a forced grin.

Joe held out his plate of biscuits again. "Good. Have another one of these, son." He briefly smiled when Jackson picked up another biscuit, then his face returned to a serious tone. "Thank you for protecting her. That wasn't an easy task considering you needed to protect yourself as well. You said that you had volunteered for her. You were willing to die for her and that's something I'll respect for the rest of my life."

Jackson smiled. "Thank you, sir. Hearing that from you means a lot to me."

"You're good in my book, young man," he admitted, then he pointed his finger at the victor. "But I'm still keeping my eye on you. You may have won the Games, but I'm still a father who protects my girls. Your new title doesn't intimidate me."

"Got it, sir," he timidly responded, smiling as he took a large bite out of his second biscuit. At least they were on good terms. "These are delicious, sir."

Joe smirked down at him. "Thank you. And you don't have to keep calling me sir," he added and laughed. "You can call me Joe, alright?"

"Okay, sir- I mean, Joe." Jackson heard the front door open and he smiled when April appeared outside with Libby. "Hey, your father let me have his biscuits."

April pursed her lips as she fought back her laugh. "That sounds a little weird. Anyway, umm… Daddy, do you mind coming back in about five minutes? Libby and I have to talk to Jackson about some post-Games business," she innocently asked.

Joe handed the plate to his daughter and kissed her cheek. "No problem, firebug. In the meantime, I'm going to wake up your sisters."

She waited until her father returned to Libby's house before she pulled Jackson into her own. "Uhh… we kind of… sort of have a problem."

* * *

Libby adjusted the hairpin attached to the back of April's hair as she helped her sister prepare for her arranged date with Denny Duquette. She wore a new mint green, sleeveless dress that she actually liked, but she hated the fact that it wasn't for Jackson. Word spread quickly about her date with the Capitol citizen. An eighteen-year old having dinner with a man in his mid-30's? Yeah, people were going to gossip about that.

After Jackson learned of the date, he sported a pout on his face everywhere he went. Of course he was jealous. He didn't want to be, but he hadn't been able to plan a formal date with his girlfriend since they returned to District 4. Now this sleazy man was taking her out? It made him bitter and envious.

Even though he knew April didn't want to take part in the date, he started to feel territorial. He wanted to watch them like a hawk and make sure Denny didn't try anything sneaky on her, but Libby had warned him that Peacekeepers would be accompanying them until the date ended. Rather than watch her prepare for the date, he decided to sulk in his house with the same pouty face.

"You look beautiful," Libby complimented while she and April stood in front of a mirror and stared at her outfit.

"I wish I looked terrible," the younger Kepner mumbled, folding her arms in front of her chest. "I'd feel better about my appearance if this was a date with Jackson. Did you see how upset he was when we told him the news? It was like we ran over his puppy. I might have killed his sex drive!"

"Somehow, I doubt that," she stated, rolling her eyes. "It's _one_ date. Both of you will survive."

April slightly frowned. "I know, but I still feel guilty. What if I actually have a good time?" she worriedly asked.

"You won't. Trust me. This is the Capitol we're talking about," Libby nonchalantly answered. "Just remember to stay calm and relaxed. You'll only have to deal with him for an hour and a half, then you can go home."

"That one minute with him was already dreadful."

Both sisters heard a knock against the open door of April's bedroom. Reed peeked her head inside and grinned. "Hey, I hope you don't mind me letting myself in. I wanted to see you before your date since you've been on a busy schedule these days," she greeted them. "Any chance for a couple minutes of best friend time?"

April softly smiled. "Of course I have time for you – when Libby isn't ordering me around," she jokingly said, which signaled her older sister to leave the bedroom. She sat down on the edge of her bed, patting the space beside her. Seeing her best friend again made her happy because they barely had time to catch up since she returned home. "We have a lot to talk about."

"Indeed we do," Reed excitedly said as she sat beside the redhead. "Can I just say I always knew you and Jackson would end up together?"

"During the Games?"

"No, I mean even before the Games. Just because you never openly admitted you had a crush on him it doesn't mean I wasn't aware," she teasingly replied. Reed proudly pointed at herself. "I'm your best friend! I know these things without you having to tell me."

She shyly chewed on her bottom lip. "I didn't think he was interested in me, okay? He spent more time humiliating me than flirting with me. I'm not a mind reader."

The brunette smirked at her. "But the most important thing is I was right," she gloated, drawing an eye roll from April. "So umm… have you two… you know?"

April nervously laughed, partially ducking her head. "I'm not talking about that."

Reed pointed her finger at April with a wide grin on her face. "Aha! You have! Oh my God!" she shrieked, covering her mouth with her hand. "Okay, so is he as impressive as they say he is? And I'm talking about performance _and_ size."

"Reed! Libby can probably hear you," she whispered, her cheeks a bright shade of red. Talking about sex in general continued to make her feel uncomfortable, especially after what happened earlier that morning. "And off the record, Jackson hasn't been with anyone except me."

"You mean, he was a…"

"Don't tell him I told you," April said and grimaced. "I'm not sure he wants anybody finding out. You swear you won't say a word? This part of the conversation never happened."

Reed held up her pinkie and smiled. "Pinkie swear."

Linking her pinkie with her best friend's, April frowned when she heard Libby calling for her. Her date from the Capitol arrived, deflating her enthusiasm. "Crap. This will probably be the longest night of my life," she muttered. She stood up, smoothing out the wrinkles on her dress. "Thanks for stopping by. Let's hang out tomorrow. I won't be busy."

"And then you'll tell me how Jackson is in bed? Every detail?"

"Umm… I'll think about it," she awkwardly answered, leading her out of the bedroom. April carefully walked down the stairs with Reed trailing from behind. She stopped on the second step, forcing a smile at Denny. He was dressed in a shiny, black suit and holding a bouquet of red roses. "Hello, Mr. Duquette."

The older man handed her the bouquet and took her free hand. "Good evening, April. You look stunning," he complimented.

April wanted to shrivel up and die when Denny pressed his lips against the back of her hand. "Thank you," she murmured, walking down the remaining steps.

After briefly saying her goodbyes to Libby and Reed, she left her house with Denny. Two Peacekeepers were waiting for her outside, sandwiching them as they escorted them down the street. April quickly glanced back at Jackson's house. He stood by his window watching her leave, appearing displeased about seeing his girlfriend on a date with another man. She sighed when he quickly shut the blinds.

They rode a Capitol branded car through the city, while garnering attention from the district's citizens. The car brought them to the docks and the Peacekeepers guided them to a boat. April grew nervous knowing she wasn't going to be able to ride the boat without a life vest. The odds of them capsizing were slim. The water looked tame, no strong currents to thrash them around. Still, she felt even more insecure about being secluded away from the town with a man she couldn't trust.

"I thought you would enjoy the scene because your father's fisherman," Denny insisted.

"How'd you know that?" she curiously asked.

He revealed his porcelain teeth as he grinned down at her. "It doesn't hurt to research information about you. I know more about you than you think. The number one student in your high school class, you won a fish hook creation contest when you were thirteen-"

"Umm, how far back into my life did you research?" April interrupted, slightly furrowing her brow. Not only was her date a creep but now he was also a stalker.

"Anything I could find, honestly," Denny admitted, walking her to a small table set up inside of the boat. He pulled out her chair and helped her sit down. "You're an interesting woman."

She swallowed hard, grabbing the glass of water on the table and taking a sip. "It's not often I've heard that."

Dinner became even more uncomfortable as Denny bragged about the luxurious life of a Capitol citizen. The economy, the fashion, the children's free pass from participating in the Hunger Games. April occasionally thought she was going to vomit up her salmon. She used Libby's advice and pretended to act interested, but she zoned out half of the time.

"Have you considered moving to the Capitol?" the blue haired man inquired. "You know, victors are welcome to change their residence. District 4 is a beautiful place to live in, but nothing beats the amenities you are granted access to in the Capitol."

April dabbed the corner of her lips with her napkin before she spoke. "No, District 4 is my home and it's too difficult for me to part with it. My entire family is here and Jackson-"

"He can join you. Well, unless you don't mind sharing him with all of the women who desire to be with him for one night," Denny insinuated after sipping his wine. "A man like him can earn a living for just being handsome."

"I don't intend on sharing him," she sternly replied. "We are happy just the way we are now."

"I would keep your options open if I were you," he suggested, wiping his mouth with his napkin. Denny stood up, stepping away from the table. "Excuse me. I'm going to use the lavatory."

April waited until her date disappeared before she slumped in her seat and sighed in frustration. Her first real date turned into a pain in the ass. For the first time, she hated being out in the middle of the ocean. There wasn't a clock nearby to check how much time was left in the date. Spending time with Denny only made her hatred towards the Capitol even greater.

"Hang in there," one of the Peacekeepers softly said to her after approaching the table. "It's almost done."

She suspiciously stared at the mask covered man beside her. The man's voice sounded strangely familiar to her. "Finn? Is that you?" the redhead whispered.

"Yes, but shh," her mentor instructed.

"But how did you-"

"I have my connections," Finn quickly answered. "No time for questions. I'm sorry I put you through this. Anyway, don't worry about him taking advantage of you. I won't let that happen."

April smiled as Finn returned to his post by the door. It was a relief to know that her mentor went out of his way to protect her. Libby had told her he had something planned, but she never would have guessed he would disguise himself as a Peacekeeper. District 4 had their share of friendly Peacekeepers. He must have bribed one of them for their suits. Their bond was initially rocky, but her respect for him skyrocketed within a matter of seconds. She felt safer knowing one of her own was close by to step in and defend her if needed.

And Finn told her something encouraging – the date was almost over.

* * *

Following the date, the same car brought April home to the Victors' Village. It parked outside of the gated community and Denny assisted her out of the car. "It was a pleasure to have dinner with you. Maybe next time, we could-"

"Ms. Kepner is very tired, sir," Finn intervened. He tugged on April's arm and led her away from Denny. "Her father and sister insist she be home by curfew, which is in less than a minute."

"Uhh… thanks for the date," April politely, yet awkwardly called out as she walked past the gate. She let out a sigh of relief when Denny left in the car. "Thank you. I definitely did _not_ want to know the rest of that sentence."

He chuckled as he walked alongside her. "Me either. And there will be no next time."

"Thank goodness."

They reached the front door of her house and April unlocked the door. She waved at Finn before entering her house. Carelessly tossing the bouquet of roses onto the floor, she removed her heels and carried them in her hand as she went upstairs. She walked into her bedroom, turning on the light and jumping back when she found Jackson waiting for her on her bed.

The pretty boy was seated upright against the headboard in a white tank top and khaki shorts. His pouty face remained as he stared at his girlfriend. "Have fun on your date?"

She placed her hand against her chest while she panted heavily. "You scared the crap out of me! How did you get into my house?" He simply pointed at the open window and she laughed. "Really?"

"The door was locked. How else was I getting in?" he miserably answered. "You look really nice for a date you didn't even want to be a part of."

"Well, I can't say I enjoyed any of it. I thought about you the entire time." April dropped her heels next to her feet and placed her hands on her hips. "You're not at all happy to see me?"

Jackson slightly shrugged. "Did Denny give you everything you wanted?"

She rolled her eyes as she laughed to herself. "Are you kidding me right now? I told you I didn't like the date. You're being a dramatic boy. Being jealous of that guy is completely pointless."

He glanced down at the small piece of rope he had created a knot with to pass the time. "I wanted your first date to be with me. Now I'm never getting that chance."

"But we can still have a first date, Jackson. I _want_ a first date with you." April grew impatient with her boyfriend, who remained silent. His typical charming smile was nowhere to be found. The pout on his face was beginning to get on her nerves. She unzipped the back of her dress and casually slipped out of it. Wearing nothing but a white bra and matching panties, she climbed onto her bed and straddled his lap. "Are you still gonna pout now?"

His eyes slowly scanned her body, then she let out a squeal when he flipped them over and pinned her down onto her back. Jackson gently rubbed April's side as she chewed on her bottom lip. "The thought of any guy touching or looking at you suggestively… I can't stand it," he muttered, his lips lightly brushing against hers.

The look in his eyes were possessive. She had never seen him so territorial before, not even in the arena. "The way you're acting right now is actually… sexy," she bashfully replied, hooking her legs over his waist. "You really shouldn't be here, though."

"Yeah, I know. Your father laid out some rules for us this morning," Jackson said disappointedly. He tried to push himself up, but she pulled him back down with her legs. "April-"

"You are so not showing up in my house with that pathetic pout on your face and leaving so fast because you're afraid of my father." April reached down, grabbing the hem of her boyfriend's tank top and pushing it up until it was over his head. "You're staying."

Jackson's mood switched instantly, smiling as he tossed aside his tank top. "Whatever you say, babe."

* * *

**Who doesn't like jealous Jackson? :) Up next: the Victory Tour**


	13. The Victory Tour

**Thank you for the reviews! Things are going to get very interesting soon :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Almost exactly six months had passed since the conclusion of the 74th Hunger Games. It took a couple of months for Jackson and April's celebrity status to calm down in District 4. Although their fellow citizens continued to treat them differently, all eyes weren't constantly on them anymore. They could live a somewhat private life, but their time of relaxation was about to disappear again. Another major event was on the horizon for the newest victors, one that would remind them of the horrifying moments that led them to instant stardom.

The Victory Tour was an event that began in District 12 and ended in the Capitol. The victors, accompanied by their mentors, stylists and escort, traveled from district to district to face the citizens and give a speech about winning the Games. Their home district was saved for last where a large party would be held and all of its citizens were required to attend. The entire tour was also televised for everyone to watch.

It was a sunny morning even during the winter in District 4. April slowly awoke from her sleep, opening her eyes as sunlight cracked through her curtain and onto her face. Lying on her back, she simply smiled to herself after a good night's rest. It helped that she slept peacefully beside Jackson the previous night, which wasn't rare for either of them. She turned her head to look at her boyfriend, who remained asleep flat on his stomach and his face partially buried into a pillow.

Jackson spent most of his nights making love to April and sleeping in her bed, except if her sisters spent the night at her house. She was too paranoid they would hear certain sounds she wasn't ready to explain to them. In the morning, the pretty boy either snuck out through the front door or the window. He preferred the window because he claimed it was romantic climbing down the drain pipe. He thought it also boosted his masculine ego.

Having celebrated his 19th birthday a couple of months ago, Jackson believed he was a bigger man now, especially after losing his virginity. April found it amusing, rolling her eyes at him when he first bragged about being a man. She reminded herself he was a guy who wanted to maintain a tough reputation, so she didn't tell anybody about how he hid behind her when a bee buzzed around them during a walk through the park in August.

April scooted towards him and began placing gentle kisses down his back. "Jackson… wake up, sweetie," she softly said in a singing tone. He barely budged, turning his head and facing the other way as he continued to sleep. She rubbed his bicep as she nibbled on his earlobe. The earlobe was normally his weakness, but he still didn't wake up. Her last resort was so slap his rear end hard. "Jackson!"

His head shot up instantly. "I'm awake, Mom!" he mumbled, blinking his eyes rapidly. When his vision became clearer he noticed his girlfriend staring down at him with her arms folded. He chuckled as he rubbed his eyes. "Of course you're not my mom."

"Good morning to you too," she replied with a smirk.

Jackson checked the clock on April's bedside table. It was five after eight in the morning. They weren't due to leave for the tour until noon, but he wasn't surprised by his human alarm clock. She was the early riser, while he loved to sleep in for as long as he could. "Is it time to leave?"

"No. I just wanted to use our time wisely before our privacy is taken away yet again," the redhead mischievously stated, gently rolling him onto his back. She caressed his chest with her hand as she leaned in for a kiss. "You know Libby will be watching us like a hawk during this tour."

"Oh, right. Will she be bringing a leash just for me?" he sarcastically asked.

"We'll find a way to sneak around," she insisted, peppering kisses along the side of his neck.

Jackson smiled as he ran his fingers through April's hair. "I love this new side of you. You're more confident than I've ever seen you. You're not afraid to break the rules. It makes you even sexier," he noted. He cupped her jaw and slightly lifted her head, so he could look at her. "I love everything about you."

She shyly bit her bottom lip. "Even when I allegedly snore in my sleep?"

"Not allegedly. You _do_ snore," he chuckled. "But it's not one of those unbearably loud snores. It's cute. You're a cute snorer. I mean that."

"You laugh in your sleep," she pointed out. "I've caught you a bunch of times in the middle of the night and when you're napping on my couch. What do you dream about that's so funny?"

Jackson quickly shrugged. "You know, I have no idea. I dream about a lot of random things I can't remember when I wake up, but the dreams I can remember involve you being naked."

April playfully smacked her boyfriend's shoulder. "Why am I not surprised? You're still a teenage boy with hormones."

"Hey, you're not so innocent yourself. Who just woke me up, so we can have sex?" he teasingly said. She rolled her eyes at him, then he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her on top of his body. "But I get it. It's hard to resist me, right?"

"Oh, shush! It goes both ways, mister," she scolded him, kissing his lips. Just as she deepened the kiss, the sound of the front door opening and Libby's voice alerted her. She groaned as she pulled away from Jackson. "Is she a psychic or something? I hate how she has a spare key."

"April, are you awake yet?" Alice called out from downstairs.

April's eyes widened after she also heard Kimmie's voice echo throughout the house. "Crap! You have to go now, Jackson," she whispered, scrambling to find her nightgown on the floor. She climbed out of bed, wearing her nightgown and a purple robe over it. All her boyfriend had to wear was his boxers. She ushered him towards her window and watched him carefully climb outside. "I'll see you later."

He gave her one last kiss before he began climbing down the drain pipe. "Love you."

"Love you too," she answered with a smile. April rushed towards the doorway as her sisters walked upstairs. Trying to appear casual, she placed a hand against the doorway and the other hand on her hip. "Hey, guys. You wanted to come over for breakfast?"

Libby stared at her sister suspiciously. "Well, Kimmie and Alice wanted to spend some time with you before we leave for the tour." She politely pushed April out of the way as she entered her bedroom. "Where is he hiding?"

"Who?" She watched the eldest Kepner open her closet door and check the bathroom. "Libby, what are you doing?"

"I thought your boyfriend was here."

Alice giggled. "Jackson is _so_ dreamy. I hope I meet a boy as dreamy as him when I'm older," she stated, folding her hands underneath her chin with a wide grin on her face.

"Oh, you will. You're as cute as a button," April insisted, kissing the top of Alice's head. "How about you and Kimmie go downstairs and gather the ingredients for pancakes? I'll make special strawberry pancakes for us, okay?"

Libby watched their younger sisters race down the stairs before pulling April into their bedroom. She partially closed the door and raised her eyebrow at her. "Where'd you stash Jackson?"

"He's not here," she groaned, rolling her eyes.

"Well, I'm pretty sure he _was_ here because I can tell by your sex hair," she pointedly said, using her fingers to flip a part of April's messy auburn hair. Her sister slapped her hand away in response, making her laugh. "Lighten up, Apes. Gosh, can you two go a day without ripping each other's clothes off?"

April opened her mouth to speak, then she immediately closed it. Since returning from the Games, she hadn't spent a day without Jackson by her side. They were inseparable. Even at family dinners, their other half attended them. "Sometimes we have our clothes on."

Libby shook her head in disgust. "I don't need to know the details!" She grasped April's wrist and led her into the bathroom. "Take a shower, change into something less skimpy and meet us downstairs for breakfast. Arizona and company will arrive in two hours. I hope you're ready. It's gonna be a busy couple of weeks."

"Oh, yeah. I can hardly contain my excitement," the younger redhead unenthusiastically replied before shutting the door behind her.

* * *

Carefully trotting through the gates of the Victors' Village in her extremely high heels, Arizona led Addison and Nicole down the stone crafted walkway. Dressed in a lavender dress and a light yellow wig, she swayed her hips back and forth as she admired the construction of the homes built for District 4's winners. The escort and the two stylists had arrived from the Capitol to prepare their victors for the tour. They would be given new clothes for each district they visited and it was their stylists' jobs to make them appear elegant and presentable everywhere.

"Look at that fine architecture. Those arches over the doorways. Beautiful!" Arizona chirped, placing a hand against her chest. She took a deep breath, inhaling deeply as she closed her eyes. Her deep breath caused her to gag and cough loudly. "If only that pure ocean smell didn't also reek of fish."

She sent Nicole to Jackson's house, while she and Addison went to April's. Arizona grabbed the knocker with her glove covered hand and tapped it against the door. The door opened and the redhead appeared wearing a simple white blouse and light brown pants.

"Hello, dear!" the escort loudly greeted her. Arizona kissed each of April's cheeks before stepping into her house. "What a lovely home. It's so clean!"

"Thank you," she politely answered, then she hugged Addison. "It's great seeing you again."

"You too. How are you?" Addison inquired, tucking some of April's hair behind her ear. She pressed her hands on top of the victor's shoulders and scanned her body from head to toe. "You look healthy and very beautiful. And most importantly, you look happy."

April proudly smiled. "I am. Jackson and I are very happy together." She cringed after Arizona's voice shrieked at the sight of her younger sisters. "Have you ever seen her _not_ cheerful? She's like a robot programmed on caffeine."

Her stylist softly laughed and directed her upstairs. "Let's figure out how to style your hair, while we wait for our prep team to deliver your outfit selections for the tour." The two redheads went to April's bedroom for privacy, but Addison also wanted to speak with her one on one. "How's everybody treating you?"

The teenager sat down in front of her mirror, then Addison began playing around with her hair. "It's a mixture of a lot of things – weird, overwhelming, endearing. People who never noticed me prior to the Games are trying to be my friend. Half of the girls I went to school with practically despise me because I'm dating Jackson," she answered with a chuckle. "I'm not used to standing out in the crowd."

"Understandable, but you remain grounded, right?" she questioned curiously. "Staying humble?"

"Oh, yes. Of course. My father taught me to accept compliments, but also to never turn them into something bigger than they are. I don't feel like a hero anyway," April added and sighed. "I killed people because the Games forced me to. There's nothing heroic about that."

Addison paused and looked at April through the mirror. "Some people are proud of winning, some people aren't. As long as you continue to remember who you are, everyone else's opinions don't matter," she advised. "Don't let anybody change you into somebody you're not."

She nodded and slightly smiled. "I missed you, you know."

"As did I," her stylist concurred before she started combing April's hair. "Let's talk about Mr. Avery."

April shyly bit her bottom lip and laughed. Aside from Reed, she hadn't discussed her relationship with Jackson with anybody else. Libby mainly scolded her for all of the sex they were having, but they hardly dove into details about her boyfriend. She trusted Addison enough to tell her about their relationship, like a motherly figure she could spill all of her secrets to. She didn't hesitate to go on and on about the pretty boy, while Addison adjusted her hair.

About an hour later, both victors were dressed and ready for a brief interview with Sydney Heron via satellite. Each of them were prepped by their stylists and waited by the front door of their homes until it was time to come out. Two large cameras had been set up in between the rows of houses and a box revealing a holographic screen sat beside it. They could hear the TV host's voice from inside of their homes, then their stylists opened the doors for them when they were both introduced.

April stepped out of her house wearing a tan sweater over her blouse, black pants and matching leather, knee-high boots. While it wasn't freezing cold during the winter, the temperature had dropped enough that shorts and a t-shirt were unacceptable – except for Jackson. However, he appeared dressed in a white hooded sweater top with a gray jacket over it and black pants and shoes. The couple met halfway, wrapping an arm around each other's waists as they smiled and waved at the cameras.

_"__And here are our 74__th__ Hunger Games victors, April Kepner and Jackson Avery!" Sydney announced gleefully. "How are our lovebirds doing? Inquiring minds would love to know what you two have been doing since your courageous win!"_

"We're happier than ever," Jackson replied, grinning at the camera. "April makes me the happiest man alive."

_"__How much are you looking forward to meeting the other districts in this Victory Tour?"_

Neither of them knew how to answer the question because they weren't excited about the tour. Not even a little bit. Facing the families of the tributes they had killed was going to be difficult, especially for April. They continued to smile and the redhead opted to respond for the both of them. "We are eager to enter different environments and see how the people in their respective districts operate."

_"__And all of us in the Capitol cannot contain our excitement for your arrival," Sydney enthusiastically stated. "See you two soon, sweethearts!"_

They waved goodbye to Sydney and April softly groaned after the cameras turned off. "My jaw was beginning to hurt from all of that smiling," she complained, resting her forehead against Jackson's shoulder. "You smell lovely."

"Nicole sprayed some sort of cologne on me," he muttered. "You don't think I smell too much like wild berries?"

"You smell lovely, Jackson," she reiterated and kissed his cheek. "And may I add, you look incredibly handsome?"

He turned to face his girlfriend, cupping her jaw with his hand. "I'd peel that sweater off of you right now if I could. And those pants-"

"We're leaving in ten minutes for the train station!" Arizona interrupted, clapping her hands as she approached them. She failed to notice the annoyed expression from Jackson and instead waved her arms towards their houses. "Chop, chop! Say goodbye to your families before we head out."

The twosome briefly separated for a few minutes to gather some belongings and to say goodbye to their families. The victors, mentors and members of the Capitol group were driven to District 4's train station to begin their tour. Once everybody was settled in the train, Finn and Libby wanted to give their former tributes a run-down of what would be happening. Jackson and April sat together closely on a couch, while their superiors stood in front of them in the common room.

"Alright, both of you won't be asked to do much on this tour," Finn started. "We visit each district starting with 12. Now, we won't be sticking around for any festivities. I'm sure you know this by now based on past Victory Tours you watched from home. Their mayor will introduce you two, you'll smile and wave to the crowd regardless of their reactions to you and you'll give a speech about what an honor it is to win the Hunger Games. It sounds ridiculous, but you gotta pretend to be proud, okay?"

Arizona tapped April's shoulder. "I will be writing your speeches for you, so you don't have to worry about what to say," she chimed in. "The only visit that doesn't require a speech is at the Capitol. President Webber will have his own speech during the party at his mansion."

"As soon as you finish your speeches, we'll leave for the next district," Libby added. She pursed her lips when she watched Jackson plant kisses along April's neck. Her sister quietly giggled, clutching her boyfriend's hand that was hanging over her shoulder. She snapped her fingers at them to get their attention. "Hey! We're not finished. Freaking teenagers."

April playfully pushed Jackson away, then she sheepishly grinned at Libby. "Sorry."

"Because Finn and I are responsible for you, there will be _zero_ hanky panky under our watch," she sternly informed them. "No sneaking into each other's rooms at night and definitely no sneaking off to squeeze in a quickie while we're in other districts. Show some respect for those people by keeping it in your pants."

Finn crossed his arms in front of his chest, nodding in agreement. "You've had six months to be together alone. You can restrain yourselves for two weeks. I'll have a Peacekeeper stand by April's bedroom at night, so Avery can't pull anything sneaky." He smirked at Jackson, who stared back at him in shock as if he had been told his penis would never work again. "You'll survive without sex, man. This isn't another trip to the arena."

The pretty boy slowly slouched in his seat, pouting at the floor. He felt like he was being punished for enjoying his time with his girlfriend. Perhaps his mentor was jealous that he was getting laid on a daily basis and the older man wasn't, he thought. "Well, it almost feels like it is," he mumbled.

* * *

After one rest stop to refuel and sleep during the night, the train arrived in District 12 just before noon. The prep team and stylists dressed their tributes prior to their arrival. Unlike the warmer weather in District 4, it snowed in the coal mining district. They wore more layers and coats for their first appearance in the poorest district. Compared to the beautiful blue and green colors seen at home, District 12 looked dead. It was mostly gray, brown and white due to the snow on the ground.

And after the train's engine turned off, it was silent outside. Nobody had waited for them at the train station to greet them except for a large jeep that was armored on the exteriors to prevent any unexpected shots fired at them. They stepped out of the train and Arizona was immediately appalled by the lack of support from the District 12 citizens.

"Well, this is rude," the aqua haired escort irritably stated. "No red carpet for our young victors?"

A Peacekeeper brought the victors, the mentors and Arizona to the jeep. They were driven to the Hall of Justice where their citizens were slowly gathering outside. The group entered the building through a back door and waited for their first short ceremony to begin. This gave Jackson and April the opportunity to spend time together. Their lack of intimacy drove the pretty boy crazy. His teenage hormones weren't helping the matter because he constantly thought about his girlfriend naked.

He lightly tugged on the fur coat April was forced to wear as she leaned back against a wall. Her hair had been slightly pulled back and the dark eyeliner brought out her hazel eyes. "You look so sexy right now," he whispered into her ear, then he kissed the side of her neck. "I missed you last night."

She closed her eyes and smiled as he gently gnawed on her skin. "I missed you too." The redhead playfully slapped his chest. "Hey, no hickeys. Addison's not here to cover it up if you leave one."

"I'm sorry. You're just so gorgeous and I can't help myself."

"Hey, kids. Knock it off," Libby ordered, using her arms to separate the couple. "No canoodling before your speeches either. Given how Jackson can hardly contain himself, I highly doubt you want the entire nation seeing you aroused on TV. Go to the corner and start thinking about… your mother naked. I don't know. Anything to calm yourself down."

"That image doesn't calm me. That only makes me nauseated," Jackson retorted.

Arizona joined the threesome with small cue cards in her hand. "These are for you two. All you have to do is recite these speeches to the people and we'll leave for District 11 when you're finished," she informed them, handing each victor a card. "Remember to smile and annunciate clearly for the cameras."

He skimmed over his lines, slowly shaking his head. "Panem today, Panem tomorrow, Panem forever? What is this crap?"

"Language, Mr. Avery!" she chided, glaring at him. Her face instantly switched back to her cheerful self seconds later. She ushered the couple towards the closed double doors. The mayor of District 12 was beginning to introduce them. "Sound proud and _be_ proud. You two are winners!"

Two Peacekeepers opened the doors unveiling them to the members of District 12. No applause to greet them. Only grim faces and icy stares welcomed Jackson and April as they walked onto the stage hand in hand. The silence made for an uncomfortable entrance. There were two small stages set up midway through the crowd. Each stage had a large screen above it with a holographic image of the fallen tribute. One stage represented Alex and the other for Jo. A family of four stood on Alex's stage, while a single blonde woman in her 40's stood alone on Jo's.

April forced herself to smile, despite how disturbed she felt to see the dead tributes staring back at her on the screens. Her hands slightly trembled as she raised her cue card in front of her. "G-good afternoon, citizens of District 12," she started, clearing her throat afterwards. "As the newest victors from the 74th annual Hunger Games, we would like to commend you for supporting us throughout our journey in the arena."

Jackson couldn't help but side eye his girlfriend, though he knew those weren't her words. However, it felt rotten to hear them coming out of her mouth since _he_ had a hand in killing both District 12 tributes. He continued to smile, ignoring the scowls on some of the faces below them. After she finished her part of the speech, it was his turn. "Think of this year's Games as a symbol of love conquering all. We are the prime example of a true love story. We proved nothing will ever tear us apart. And we are proud to be a part of history. Panem today, Panem tomorrow, Panem-"

His speech was interrupted when a shoe came flying in from the crowd, hitting him in the face. Suddenly, chaos ensued as people started shouting at the pair causing Peacekeepers to come charging in to settle them down. Finn rushed to bring his tributes back into the building, grabbing their arms and pulling them inside.

"Are you okay?" April questioned, moving Jackson's hand away from his face. She noticed a small cut along his eyebrow and used the sleeve of her coat to wipe away the blood. He winced, taking a step back from her. "Don't be such a baby!"

"I think it's time we get out of here," Finn suggested.

They exited through the back door, getting into the jeep and riding back to the train station. "What the hell was that?" Jackson angrily asked as he entered the train. "I get they hate me for killing one of their own and setting up the other one to die, but was that necessary? Aren't they supposed to behave or whatever?"

Finn and Libby were whispering inaudible words to each other, making April extremely curious. "Are you gonna tell us what's going on?" she inquired with her hands on her hips.

Both mentors exchanged glances with April, then Libby said, "Now's not the time to talk about this." She approached Jackson and led him to the restroom. "You should clean up that cut. I'm sure the prep team has something to heal that quickly."

The younger Kepner remained confused after her sister disappeared with Jackson. Finn appeared to be in serious mode as he ignored her and followed the other two. She wondered if District 12's reaction had anything to do with what they had discussed during their train ride home from the Capitol. If what was happening was the supposed rebellion surfacing, she hoped she and Jackson would be out of harm's way until they were at home in District 4 again.

* * *

It became the same routine as they traveled to each district. Arizona had written a new but similar speech for Jackson and April and they delivered them with poise. Although, some districts weren't hesitant to show their displeasure with the Capitol. They received mixed reactions from District 7 considering both of them killed their tributes. District 5 and 10 had been the most vocal, leading to very harsh consequences for some of their citizens. Some were beaten publicly or physically removed from the scene. Neither victors wanted to know what happened to those people.

People wanted them to speak the truth instead of reading from their cue cards. It seemed they were aware of the fact that the District 4 victors weren't entirely onboard with how the Capitol functioned. They yelled at the couple to speak the truth, but they didn't break from their fake character. President Webber was watching everything. Any sign of rebelling and they would be in serious trouble too.

The hardest trip for April was their visit to District 3 – Lexie's home. Ever since the young tribute died, she couldn't stop feeling guilty about it. One of them would have had to die eventually, yet she occasionally still hated herself for bringing her most trustworthy ally into a trap.

She and Jackson stood on a stage outside of the Hall of Justice. Like all of the other districts, the ceremony was set up exactly the same with two more stages built for the families of the deceased. April barely made eye contact with Lexie's family. Looking at them made her guilt unbearable.

"People of District 3…" April paused, glancing down at her cue card. She had grown tired of the prewritten speeches by the time they visited District 10. This was the one place she felt too uncomfortable to put on a fake smile. She dropped her arms to her sides and her eyes focused on Lexie's parents and younger sister. "Lexie was a sweet girl. She was smart, intelligent and brave. We became friends in the short time we knew each other. And she was too young to die. She didn't deserve to die at such a young age. Also, umm… I didn't know Derek very well, but I'm sure he was a good person too."

Jackson frowned as tears trickled down his girlfriend's cheeks. He rested his hand against her lower back and attempted to finish their speech. "Umm… winning the Games is an honor-"

"Fuck the Capitol!" a District 3 citizen yelled, fist in the air.

Various people joined in and chanted the same thing. The chant grew louder and louder forcing parents to cover their young children's ears. April gasped in shock when the original shouter was shot in the head by a Peacekeeper standing in a nearby tower. She watched in horror as the crowd panicked and ran in various directions. Jackson used his arms to shield her as he turned and escorted her inside of the building.

"Are you alright?" he asked, cupping her cheeks. Her face was pale like she was going to faint at any second.

"What did I d-do? W-what did I do?" she stammered, unable to control her tears. "I killed that man!"

Libby shook her head as she rubbed April's back. "No, you didn't, but that was a very stupid thing to do. We're just a few days away from visiting the Capitol again. You can't pull a stunt like that again, you hear me?"

"I'm sorry! I couldn't take it anymore!" she sobbed. "Lexie dying was _my_ fault! I didn't want to lie to her family."

Finn waved over the threesome. "The car's ready. We have to go right now," he ordered, rolling his eyes when Arizona took quick baby steps to run out of the building. He let the others leave first before joining them in the car.

Aside from the sound of April's sniffles, it was a very silent and awkward ride to the train station. Gunshots echoed outside making Libby cringe. Jackson held April tightly against his side, while she buried her face against his shoulder. District 3 was one of the less hostile districts, so he worried about what would happen to them in District 1 and 2. Would they even continue the tour or go straight to the Capitol? He hoped they would be given time to pass before returning to the most loathed place in Panem. Otherwise, it was going to be a very intimidating encounter with President Webber.

When they boarded the train he walked April to her bedroom. Jackson helped her into bed, covering her body with the blanket. "Try to get some sleep, okay?"

"Can you stay with me?" she whimpered. "I don't care what Libby and Finn say. Just stay, please?"

He slipped out of his jacket and removed his shoes before climbing into bed with her. She pressed her cheek against his chest, draping her arm over his abdomen and shutting her eyes. Jackson gently ran his fingers through her arm and sighed. "You're safe now. I won't let anything happen to you."

Meanwhile in the common room, Libby paced back and forth pinching the bridge of her nose. "What the hell are we supposed to do?" she whispered frantically. "How can we even show our faces in District 2 tomorrow? They're the Capitol's most loyal ally! Someone will likely shoot April and Jackson as soon as they walk onto their stage!"

"That's not gonna happen," Finn calmly replied, sitting down on the couch. "The Capitol isn't going to let anybody assassinate their most prized victors no matter how defiant they're acting. There may be time to redeem themselves a bit as long as they read whatever Arizona prepares for them in these last two stops before we arrive at the Capitol."

"I'm still worried," she dejectedly answered and fidgeted with the charm on her necklace. "They might not punish those two, but they can easily do something to our families and friends in District 4. The Capitol is fully aware that there's a rebellion heating up. Nobody is safe now."

* * *

Because of the uproar in District 3, the last two stops in the highest districts were modified for Jackson and April's safety. Rather than appearing on stage to address the public, they were told to stay inside of both districts' Hall of Justice and recite their speeches via live feed. It made the situation less nerve wracking, but they felt better about not having to make eye contact with anybody.

April had been shaken up by the traumatic experience in the technology district that facing Cristina and Owen's parents would have been impossible for her to do. She continued to blame herself for what had happened, but she managed to sleep better with Jackson by her side at night. Having him around was the only way to relax her. During the overnight train ride to District 1, he had gotten up to use the bathroom. She woke up a minute later and had a panic attack when she couldn't find him. He nearly got his ass kicked by a Peacekeeper when he attempted to calm her down.

The tour had taken a toll on April emotionally. She just wanted it all to be over, but she knew her stint as a victor would only end if she died.

And she wasn't ready to die yet.

Returning to the Capitol made the lovebirds apprehensive. They were unsure of how the citizens would perceive them – the couple they adored since their romance became a story or backstabbing rebels who finally showed their true feelings about the Capitol?

The event was a fancy dinner hosted at President Webber's mansion. The evening would consist of dancing, mingling with prestigious Capitol freaks and eating all of the food they could stuff into their mouths. Prior to the dinner, they were scheduled to meet with Sydney Heron for another interview. Afterwards, their stylists and prep team dressed them up for the elegant party.

Jackson stood outside of April's dressing room wearing a dark green dress jacket with a black trim over a black buttoned shirt. His pants were tight, black and shiny. He sneakily tugged on the crotch area as a way to give his precious parts room to breathe. After anxiously waiting to see what his girlfriend was wearing, she stepped out of her dressing room in a sleeveless, forest green gown. The bottom of the gown was made of a thinner material to show off her legs.

"Wow," he uttered under his breath. His eyes scanned every inch of her body. "You look so stunning."

"I'm mostly grateful they didn't ask me to wear heels like Arizona's," she replied and softly chuckled. April fixed the collar of Jackson's shirt and smiled. "And unsurprisingly, you're looking handsome."

He kissed her lips, resting his forehead against hers. "Tomorrow, we'll be home again."

"Tomorrow still feels like a long time from now," she sighed.

A car brought them to President Webber's mansion for his dinner party. Waiting for them outside was Arizona. Dressed in a fluffy sky blue dress, she grinned brightly at the couple before turning away and guiding them towards the multicolored lit building. Hundreds of selected guests were already in attendance in the courtyard where the party took place. As the threesome moved closer to the mansion, the Capitol citizens' eyes were on them. April tightened her grip on Jackson's arm while they climbed up the steps leading to the party.

There were half a dozen tables filled with desserts, drinks and finger foods set up around a dance floor. The victors politely greeted every person who interacted with them, showing off their fake smiles with each person they passed.

"I bet you two are starving. Go ahead and try some of these delectable treats," Arizona encouraged them. She smiled and waved at her peers, while Jackson and April tasted the various foods beside them. "Delicious, yes?"

Jackson's cheeks were puffed out after stuffing his mouth with more than one mini sandwich. "De-ri-shuts," he attempted to repeat, smiling at the escort.

Arizona waved her finger at him. "Don't talk with your mouth full, dear. It's bad manners." April reached for a tiny champagne glass containing a purple liquid. "Ah, you'll enjoy that one, sweetheart."

"What is it?" the redhead asked curiously before taking a sip.

"When your belly is stuffed from eating you drink that, so you can throw everything you ate up and start eating all over again!" she chirped, causing April to immediately spit out the liquid. "Manners, Ms. Kepner!"

April set the glass down and wiped her mouth with a napkin. Fortunately, she hadn't swallowed the liquid. She set her plate on the nearby table, then she grabbed Jackson's hand. "How about we dance?" she suggested, leading her boyfriend to the dance floor before he could formally respond.

He placed one hand on her waist, clutching her other hand. "I'll warn you now that I'm not a very good dancer."

"Just don't step on my toes and you'll be fine," she replied, resting her free hand on his shoulder. They started moving to the classical music played by a string quartet. April chuckled at Jackson's awkwardness. His eyes switched back and forth between staring at her face and his feet. "Is this why you were that guy who played it cool by standing beside the wall at the school dances?"

"Guilty," he admitted. "Let's make a deal. Since you're teaching me how to dance right now, how about I teach you how to swim when we're back at home?"

"Sounds fair," she agreed. "But don't let me drown."

Jackson softly laughed. "Do you honestly believe I'd let that happen _again_?" He leaned in for a kiss, but they were interrupted by a familiar guest who stood beside them.

"Mind if I cut in?" Denny asked, drawing a scowl from Jackson.

"Actually, I _do_ mind," he firmly stated, pulling April closer to his side. The thought of the older man touching his girlfriend again brought out the overprotective side of him. It wasn't as if Peacekeepers would be able to beat him up until he surrendered her to Denny. They were the guests of honor after all. "We're not finished dancing yet."

April nervously bit her bottom lip before she forced herself to smile. "I'm teaching him how to dance. Maybe later?"

Denny slowly nodded. "Later then."

After the blue haired man walked away, Jackson narrowed his eyes as he watched Denny converse with other Capitol citizens. "I don't like him," he muttered. "You go on one date and he expects you to throw yourself at him? I wish I could knock those fake teeth out of his mouth."

"Babe, look at me," she instructed, smiling when he made eye contact with her. April gently rubbed Jackson's cheek as a way to calm him down. "Don't worry about him. It's just us now."

"Sometimes I do have to worry," he sighed. "I don't trust anybody at this party except for you."

She slipped her arms around his neck, laying her head against his shoulder. "I feel the same way. I'm glad we have each other to get through this tour. I can't imagine myself staying sane if I had to do this alone."

"Me either. I would be a miserable dog," he concurred.

Standing on a balcony overlooking the party, President Webber watched the two teenagers dance. After sipping his wine, he cleared his throat and murmured to himself, "Soon. Your fate will be finalized soon, children."

* * *

**Let me know what you think please :) Some twists will be coming up in the next chapter**


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